Acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will retain his position as the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York’s American Museum of Natural History after the museum has concluded its investigation into sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him.
According to the New York Times, the museum released the following statement on Saturday:
“The museum’s investigation into allegations concerning Neil deGrasse Tyson is complete,” a museum spokeswoman said in a brief statement. “Based on the results of the investigation, Dr. Tyson remains an employee and director of the Hayden Planetarium. Because this is a confidential personnel matter, there will be no further statements by the museum.”
In December, The Root revealed the extent of the allegations:
Beginning on Nov. 8, Patheos published multiple accounts from women who have detailed Tyson’s inappropriate behavior. Tchiya Amet recalled being drugged and raped by him in 1984 when they were both graduate students, while Dr. Katelyn N. Allers, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Bucknell University, alleges that she was “felt up” by Tyson at a 2009 party. His former assistant, Ashley Watson, states that his constant sexual advances forced her to quit her job.
As a result of his alleged misconduct, the production of his National Geographic Channel shows StarTalk and Cosmos were both suspended indefinitely. However, prior to the network completing its investigation, Tyson vehemently denied any sexual misconduct had taken place.
In a lengthy Facebook post entitled “On Being Accused,” which he published in December, the 60-year-old maintained his innocence.
“In any claim, evidence matters. Evidence always matters. But what happens when it’s just one person’s word against another’s, and the stories don’t agree?” he wrote. “That’s when people tend to pass judgment on who is more credible than whom.”
In March, the National Geographic Channel declined to elaborate on the results of its investigation, but announced its intention to resume production on both Tyson-helmed shows.
From Variety:
“‘StarTalk’ will return to the air with the remaining 13 episodes in April on National Geographic, and both Fox and National Geographic are committed to finding an air date for ‘Cosmos,’” the network said in a statement. “There will be no further comment.”
Tyson has yet to publicly comment on the matter.