Fox and National Geographic say that they have launched investigations into claims made against astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson after two women came forward with allegations that he made inappropriate sexual advances towards them.
deGrasse Tyson hosts the Fox and National Geographic reboot of the classic Carl Sagan documentary series, which first premiered in 2014. Earlier this summer, Fox renewed the series for a second season, Possible Worlds, which will premiere in 2019.
In a statement to Deadline, producers for Cosmos say that they “have only just become aware of the recent allegations regarding Neil deGrasse Tyson,” and that they have launched an investigation, noting that “the credo at the heart of Cosmos is to follow the evidence wherever it leads. The producers of Cosmos can do no less in this situation.”
The allegations surfaced in a report in Patheos, from professor of physics and astronomy Dr. Katelyn N. Allers, and one of deGrasse Tyson’s former assistants, Ashley Watson, who say that Tyson made unwanted advances. Last year, Patheos published a report from a woman named Tchiya Amet, who alleged that Tyson raped her when the two were in graduate school.
On Saturday evening, deGrasse Tyson issued a lengthy statement on his Facebook page, saying that he will “fully” cooperate with the investigation, and outlined his recollection of the 2009 and 2018 incidents, as well as the allegation that he had raped a classmate in the 1980s.
deGrasse Tyson is the latest such figure to come under investigation, which comes after a tumultuous year in which numerous women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against figures such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, and others.
Updated December 2nd, 9:12 AM ET: Updated to include deGrasse Tyson’s statement.