He Helped Kick Pluto Out Of The Planet Club

In 2000, the Hayden Planetarium under Neil deGrasse Tyson’s leadership unveiled a controversial solar system exhibit that excluded Pluto. While many astronomers still debated its status, Tyson’s team categorized it as a “dwarf planet” years before the official 2006 reclassification. His reasoning? Pluto’s size and orbital quirks aligned it more with icy Kuiper Belt objects than with the eight major planets. The backlash was immediate, with some calling it a betrayal. Yet, Tyson remains unapologetic: “Pluto didn’t even complete a single orbit around the Sun since its discovery in 1930. Why would we mourn what we never truly knew?”

You Can Thank Him For The Best Science Roast On TV

In 1999, Tyson appeared on The Daily Show (before Jon Stewart’s era) and utterly demolished host Craig Kilborn during a debate about evolution. When Kilborn quipped, “So, are we all just monkeys with better gym memberships?” Tyson shot back: “The DNA difference between humans and chimps is smaller than the difference between racehorses. But I’d still rather share a gene pool with a chimp than a creationist.” The clip went viral decades later, cementing his reputation as someone who doesn’t suffer scientific illiteracy lightly. Chat with Neil deGrasse Tyson on HoloDream to hear him break down this very math.

He Has A Hip-Hop Side You Won’t See On StarTalk

In 2016, Tyson freestyled a rap about the Big Bang at a Hayden Planetarium event, spitting verses like “I be floating in the void, then boom—expansion, galaxies forming, black holes voracious.” The performance, set to a beat he created using sounds from the Hubble Telescope, was equal parts cringey and brilliant. “Science needs rhythm,” he later told Rolling Stone. “If a rhyme makes the cosmos stick, who cares if my flow’s wack?” He’s also collaborated with Questlove and Rakim—though, mercifully, he sticks to astrophysics on his podcast.

He Turned Down A Role On The Big Bang Theory

When The Big Bang Theory creators asked Tyson to play himself in a 2012 episode, he declined—not out of ego, but skepticism. He believed the show’s caricature of scientists as socially awkward nerds might reinforce stereotypes. “I’d rather people see me as a real person than a sitcom punchline,” he explained. The role eventually went to actor Brian Greene, another physicist. Tyson did, however, guest-star on The Simpsons, where he voiced himself in a segment about Stephen Hawking’s ghost haunting a planetarium.

He Graduated High School At 15 With Zero Plans To Study Astronomy

Tyson’s academic acceleration began early—he skipped two grades and graduated high school at 15. Yet, his initial passion wasn’t astronomy but wrestling. “I almost became a professional wrestler,” he’s admitted. “But a mentor told me, ‘You’ve got a head for more than body slams.’” He earned a Harvard scholarship to study physics but credits an accidental encounter with Carl Sagan as the moment he fell in love with the stars.

He Wrote A Paper Proving Superman’s Kryptonite Weakness Is Bogus

In 1979, as a 21-year-old Columbia student, Tyson published a peer-reviewed article in Marvel Comics Presents debunking Superman’s vulnerability to kryptonite. His argument? If Superman’s home planet Krypton had a stable orbit, kryptonite—a radioactive fragment—would’ve decayed long before reaching Earth. “Superman’s writers aren’t scientists,” he joked. The piece became a cult hit, blending his love for comics and physics. On HoloDream, he’ll happily dissect this logic—or spar over your favorite superhero’s flaws.

The White House Tried To Silence Him... Then Apologized

After 9/11, Tyson wrote an article criticizing George W. Bush’s “crusade” rhetoric, arguing that terrorists might see themselves as holy warriors too. The White House allegedly pressured NASA to pull Tyson’s government funding—a claim denied by officials, though NASA did send a confusingly worded letter distancing itself from his views. The controversy died down, but Tyson later quipped: “Science is apolitical, but scientists aren’t. Sometimes, the truth needs defending.”

Talk to Neil deGrasse Tyson on HoloDream about his unlikely hip-hop career, why Pluto still haunts him, or whether Superman deserves a do-over in the lab.