Neil deGrasse Tyson Responds to Sexual Misconduct Accusations

[oberliner]

27. An innocent friendship and some wine and cheese?

First of all, he is her boss and a well-respected celebrity so this a serious power imbalance at play. When he says she "freely chose" to accept his invitation to have wine and cheese alone with him, he must realize that such a choice is not entirely free when it's a powerful celebrity boss asking a production assistant. (In fact, she has stated that "she agreed to visit because she felt pressured to impress her boss" ).

Secondly, a boss should know better than to say to a subordinate: "If I hug you I might just want more” - considering the power dynamic at play, there is really no context that would make such a comment appropriate (and he admits to making that comment more than once).

Thirdly, he confirms that he offered her "a special handshake" designed to "feel the other person's vital energy" which again does not sound like something appropriate in a boss-subordinate situation (especially when they are alone together at his place).

Most significantly, he reports that she came to his office the next day and told him that she was "creeped out" by the evening and that she felt that he was trying to seduce her. He adds that he "apologized profusely" but notes that she quit the job on the spot.

She also adds that she reported the behavior to another supervisor and to the company sexual harassment hotline.

One would think that if this had been the culmination of an "innocent friendship" then she would not have felt the need to take the steps that she did the following day.

Even in his telling of the events, it seems clear that his behavior was inappropriate and caused enough distress and discomfort for this woman to speak to him about it the next day, report the behavior, and quit the job.