The WORST episodes of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
Every episode of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson!
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson brings together celebrities, scientists and comedians to explore a variety of cosmic topics and collide pop culture with science in a way that late-night television has never seen before. Weekly topics range from popular science fiction, space travel, extraterrestrial life, the Big Bang, to the future of Earth and the environment. Tyson is an astrophysicist with a gifted ability to connect with everyone, inspiring us all to "keep looking up." The studio audience portion of the series is filmed in the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York City — where Tyson serves as the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
#1 - SciFi Meets National Defense
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/5/2017
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with former head of DARPA Arati Prabhakar.
#2 - Frank Oz and the Science of Puppeteering
Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/4/2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with puppeteer Frank Oz, then discusses puppets in pop culture and the people "behind the curtain" with Adam Conover and Charles Liu.
#3 - Sam Harris and the Science of Belief
Season 4 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/28/2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews neuroscientist Sam Harris, and discusses everything from free will to religion with Godfrey and Andrew Newberg.
#4 - True Story of Hidden Figures
Season 4 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/21/2018
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews author Margot Lee Shetterly ("Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race") and actress Janelle Monáe, who starred in the movie.
#5 - Alan Alda
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/7/2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Alan Alda and discusses science communication with Matt Kirshen and Heather Berlin.
#6 - Salman Rushdie
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews Salman Rushdie and explores the science of storytelling with comedian Eugene Mirman and literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall.
#7 - Celestial Navigation
Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/2017
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with master navigator Nainoa Thompson.
#8 - James Cameron
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/26/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews filmmaker and Nat Geo explorer-in-residence James Cameron.
#9 - Sylvia Earle, Fabien Cousteau & Adrian Grenier
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/19/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle and aquanaut Fabien Cousteau.
#10 - Katy Perry
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/12/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Katy Perry and discusses the answers to some of Perry’s “Cosmic Queries” with Sasheer Zamata and Charles Liu.
#11 - Kelly Slater and the Science of Surfing
Season 4 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/18/2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with surfer Kelly Slater, then discusses the science of surfing with Chuck Nice and William Finnegan.
#12 - Kevin Smith
Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/29/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Kevin Smith and discusses science fiction and the science of superheroes with Chuck Nice and Charles Liu.
#14 - Jane Goodall
Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/15/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Jane Goodall and discusses chimpanzee behavior with Chuck Nice and Jill Pruetz.
#15 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/8/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and discusses the science of basketball with Chuck Nice and Charles Liu.
#16 - Lance Armstrong
Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/1/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Lance Armstrong and discusses the science of cycling with Scott Adsit, Max Glaskin, and Arthur Caplan.
#17 - Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 1/30/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews jazz icons Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and discusses the art and science of jazz with his studio co-hosts.
#18 - The Science of Weather
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 1/16/2017
Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with NOAA Administrator Kathryn D. Sullivan.
#19 - Hope Solo
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/2/2017
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with soccer goalie Hope Solo.
#21 - Journalist Christiane Amanpour
Season 5 - Episode 16 - Aired 5/16/2019
Neil deGrasse Tyson and war correspondent Christiane Amanpour find order in the chaotic debate over journalistic neutrality. Joining Neil are comic Eugene Mirman, investigative journalist Azmat Khan and conflict journalist Judith Matloff.
#22 - Bill Nye
Season 5 - Episode 15 - Aired 5/9/2019
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews science educator Bill Nye. Co-host Chuck Nice and engineer Emily Calandrelli join to discuss science communication, romance and Nye's signature bow tie.
#23 - Director Darren Aronofsky
Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/9/2019
Director Darren Aronofsky ("Mother!").
#24 - Author Patricia Cornwell
Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/2/2019
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews author Patricia Cornwell. Co-host Matt Kirshen and forensic pathologist Rebecca Folkerth join to discuss forensics, and neuroscientist Andrew Newberg adds his expertise on the intersection of mind, body and soul.
#25 - Weird Al Yankovic
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/2/2019
Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews parody songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. Co-host Maysoon Zayid and astrophysicist Charles Liu join to discuss Yankovic's incorporation of science in his parodies, visual versus spoken comedy and being a nerd.