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.

Last Updated: 3/4/2024Network: National GeographicStatus: Ended
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Actor James Marsden
star
5.80
5 votes

#1 - Actor James Marsden

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/25/2019

Actor James Marsden ("Westworld").

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US Space Command
star
5.86
7 votes

#2 - US Space Command

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/4/2019

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Bill Nye
star
6.00
7 votes

#3 - 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.

Directors: Peter Fackler
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Actor Anna Deavere Smith
star
6.11
9 votes

#4 - Actor Anna Deavere Smith

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/18/2019

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson and actress Anna Deavere Smith explore the roles of art and science.

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Kelly Slater and the Science of Surfing
star
6.13
8 votes

#5 - 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.

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News Anchor Dan Rather
star
6.14
7 votes

#6 - News Anchor Dan Rather

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/11/2019

Directors: Peter Fackler
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David Byrne
star
6.18
57 votes

#7 - David Byrne

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/6/2015

Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews musician David Byrne and discusses creativity in the arts and sciences with co-host Maeve Higgins and guest Monica Lopez-Gonzalez.

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Katie Couric
star
6.20
10 votes

#8 - Katie Couric

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/22/2017

Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with Katie Couric and discusses the intersection of science and journalism with Eugene Mirman and Jeff Jarvis.

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Author Patricia Cornwell
star
6.29
7 votes

#9 - 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.

Directors: Peter Fackler
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Actor Jeff Goldblum
star
6.38
8 votes

#10 - Actor Jeff Goldblum

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/25/2019

Directors: Peter Fackler
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Bill Clinton
star
6.48
67 votes

#11 - Bill Clinton

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/25/2015

In the season premiere, Neil deGrasse Tyson sits down with former President Bill Clinton, who was a strong advocate of science education and advancement during his two presidential terms. President Clinton opens up about his deep appreciation for science as he delves into topics including the importance of science in politics, the cosmic perspective, the Human Genome Project and Einstein. At the Cullman Hall of the Universe, Tyson continues the conversation with his comedian co-host Chuck Nice and genomics expert Juan Enriquez. Meanwhile, Bill Nye gives his take on advancing scientific progress in America, author Richard Muller joins via video call to talk about the influence of science on politics and Tyson answers fan questions about artificial intelligence.

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Time Travel
star
6.53
51 votes

#12 - Time Travel

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/2016

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews “Back to the Future” actor Christopher Lloyd and “Dr. Who” actress Michelle Gomez.

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Salman Rushdie
star
6.55
11 votes

#13 - 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.

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True Story of Hidden Figures
star
6.56
9 votes

#14 - 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.

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Larry Wilmore
star
6.58
59 votes

#15 - Larry Wilmore

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/1/2015

Emmy® award-winning producer, actor, comedian and writer Larry Wilmore joins Tyson in the hot seat as the two delve into the intersection of science and comedy. At the Cullman Hall of the Universe, Tyson is joined by his co-hosts: comedian Chuck Nice and Scott Weems, author of “Ha! The Science of When We Laugh and Why.” The three discuss the physiology of laughter, the mathematics of crafting jokes and the link between humor and creativity. Adding to the discussion, author Andy Weir patches into the studio to discuss the comedy in his book “The Martian” and Bill Nye presents an improv performance to demonstrate that science can, in fact, be funny.

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Celestial Navigation
star
6.63
8 votes

#16 - Celestial Navigation

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/2017

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with master navigator Nainoa Thompson.

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Sam Harris and the Science of Belief
star
6.71
7 votes

#17 - 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.

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Hope Solo
star
6.80
15 votes

#18 - Hope Solo

Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/2/2017

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson features his interview with soccer goalie Hope Solo.

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Anthony Bourdain
star
6.80
15 votes

#19 - Anthony Bourdain

Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/12/2018

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews chef Anthony Bourdain; Sasheer Zamata, Guy Crosby and Yvette d'Entremont discuss the science of food as it relates to taste, cooking and climate change; Natalia Reagan tries one of the hottest sauces in the world.

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Katy Perry
star
6.83
12 votes

#20 - 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.

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SciFi Meets National Defense
star
6.86
14 votes

#21 - 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.

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Director Darren Aronofsky
star
6.88
8 votes

#22 - Director Darren Aronofsky

Season 5 - Episode 14 - Aired 5/9/2019

Director Darren Aronofsky ("Mother!").

Directors: Peter Fackler
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Vice President Al Gore
star
6.88
8 votes

#23 - Vice President Al Gore

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/4/2019

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The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg & Bill Prady
star
6.91
11 votes

#24 - The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg & Bill Prady

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/26/2018

Host Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews actor Simon Helberg and co-creator Bill Prady ("The Big Bang Theory"); comic Chuck Nice, astrophysicist Charles Liu and theoretical physicist Janna Levin discuss the portrayal of scientists in pop culture.

Directors: Peter Fackler
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Frank Oz and the Science of Puppeteering
star
7.00
12 votes

#25 - 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.

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