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Fans of astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson are in for a treat. The world renowned scientist and pop culture icon is set to host a new late night talk sow on National Geographic Channel. The show, titled Star Talk, will debut in April.

The program is based on Tyson’s popular podcast, similarly titled StarTalk, and will film in front of a live studio audience at the American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Tyson serves as director of the Planetarium.

Early concepts for the show suggest it will follow a similar format to his podcast. Tyson mixes science with comedy and pop culture, usually inviting a celebrity guest or stand-up comedian to join him.

Rumors suggest fellow pop culture scientist Bill Nye, the Science Guy, will join Tyson. In talk show parlance, Nye will be more a featured player than a sidekick, having a one-minute segment each episode to talk about scientific concepts in the simplified manner for which Nye is famous.

Tyson may be most famous for his role as narrator and guide on National Geographic Channel’s COSMOS. Tyson told news media that, in some ways, Star Talk will be an extension of that show.

“COSMOS allowed us to share the awesome power of the universe with a global audience in ways that we never thought possible,” Tyson told reports via press conference. “To be able to continue to spread wonder and excitement through Star Talk, which is a true passion project for me, is beyond exciting. And National Geographic Channel is the perfect home as we continue to explore the universe.”

A little bit about your host

Tyson was born on Oct. 5, 1958, in Manhattan, New York. He is a middle child, was raised in the Bronx by a gerontologist and sociologist.

His love of science was evident early. Tyson tells the story of being a nine-year-old boy out in the country under the stars on a trip to Pennsylvania. There he mentioned how the stars reminded him of the Hayden Planetarium, where his career would eventually make him director.

Tyson attended public school, including The Bronx High School of Science. He was wrestling team captain and editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, Physical Science Journal. Higher education classes were taken Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of Texas at Austin

He began his undergraduate studies at Harvard University – this after already having established himself as a physics lecturer at age 15. There he majored in physics, but kept his athletic career going. Tyson crewed his freshmen year, before going back to wrestling. He lettered in the sport as a senior. He also studied dance – jazz, ballet and ballroom.

Tyson went after his masters degree at the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a masters in astronomy, even though many of his professors encouraged him to consider different career paths. Even Tyson admits that his studies suffered at UTA.

He eventually returned to New York and Columbia University, where he earned his masters of philosophy in astrophysics, as well as his Doctorate of Philosophy in astrophysics.

Tyson’s career has taken him to the University of Maryland, Princeton University, the American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium, where he serves today. And among the many accolades and notables Tyson has brought to that role, one of the most controversial may have been his push to have Pluto not referred to as one of the nine planets. That push garnered him a fair amount of hate mail. Much of it from children.

Since then, Tyson’s popularity has grown, with regular appearances on The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show and more.

Rumors in recent weeks suggest that The View co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O’Donnell are in the thick of a set rattling feud, and that O’Donnell’s on set attitude has cast and crew on edge. Blame TMZ for those rumors, by the way.

O’Donnell calls all the chatter ridiculous. “There is absolutely no truth to this,” O’Donnell’s publicist told E! News. “Rosie was thrilled and excited to work with Whoopi.”

Goldberg is saying much the same. Over the summer, she told reporters, “I don’t fight with people, that’s not my way. Quit trying to make me into something I’m not. I’m not a little girl with cat claws. I am not a cat, I am a human being.”

At the center of all the turmoil? Allegedly control of the “moderator” chair on the panel talk show – the chair occupied by Goldberg. TMZ, again, suggests that O’Donnell is unhappy she is not the moderator and is considering leaving the show (or is about to be let go, according to other rumors). O’Donnell’s publicist, though, says O’Donnell has always known Goldberg was the series moderator.

Further rumors and speculation say that poor ratings could have the entire panel replaced next year, as well.  

Fast Facts

Title: The Chew

Hosts: Mario Batali, Michael Symon, Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly and Daphne Oz

Format: One hour talk show combining elements of a entertainment cooking show

Broadcast information: Airs at 1 p.m. on ABC in most locations, check your local listings

Tapes: ABC-TV Studios, New York City, N.Y.

Premiere Date: Sept. 26, 2011

Overview:

The Chew debuted on ABC on Sept. 26, 2011, replacing two long-running soap operas, All My Children and One Life to Live. And with that, this new lifestyle talk show began its first season with a lot to prove.

And it did, suffering a fair amount of snubbing from dejected soap opera fans pining for their lost stories. Critics weren’t much kinder, calling the show erratic and too fast-paced (even at a time when talk show segments are getting shorter and viewer attention spans beg for speed and precision). But there was another tone to those tsks, tsks – namely, a desire for the show to succeed, if only because it feels a little fresh and a little different. (Though our opinion is that the show straddles the line between The Rachael Ray Show and The Martha Stewart Show.)

Shortly into its first season, the show discovered its audience and maybe found its voice (though these things take some time). Slowing its pace, taking time with the lifestyle portion of the program and concentrating less on witty banter and more on talk its hosts are expert in, The Chew, obviously a play off ABC’s other talk show The View, could be a great success.

The show’s stated goal is to celebrate and explore life through

food, centering conversations on “everything from cooking, holidays and home entertaining to food trends like food trucks and urban gardens.”

Meet The Hosts
Like many new talk shows these days (The Doctors, The Talk) The Chew gathers an ensemble cast of celebrity chefs – and Iron Chefs. Those hosts include:

• Mario Batali: A Food Network staple and the Iron Chef with the Italian food expertise, Batali was born in Seattle, lived in Spain for a short time while he was in his teens, returning to attend Rutgers University. He opened his first restaurant, Po, in 1993. Today he owns more than eight restaurants in New York, Las Vegas and elsewhere.
• Michael Symon: Cleveland native Michael Symon, the first winner of The Next Iron Chef and one of the more popular Iron Chefs today, owns several restaurants in Northeast Ohio and Detroit. Those include the four-star Lola in downtown Cleveland and Roast in Detroit. He’s appeared on a number of Food Network programs.
• Carla Hall: Known for her stints on Bravo Network’s Top Chef, Carla Hall is the resident pastry expert. She owns Alchemy by Carla Hall, a cookie company that specializes in “petite bites of love.” Expect twists in her cooking techniques as she fuses her classic French training with her Southern cuisine upbringing.
• Clinton Kelly: Clinton Kelly brings the lifestyle to the lifestyle show. He’s the style host of TLC’s What Not To Wear and hosts a number of trends and fashion programs on that network. He’s an author, commentator and consultant.
• Daphne Oz: If that last name is familiar, it’s because Daphne Oz is indeed related to popular talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz. Daphne is his daughter. And this Oz labels herself as The Chew‘s health and wellness enthusiast. She brings tips on healthy living and insights into good life choices – whether its food and day-to-day living. She focuses healthy living among young adults, and received rave reviews for her book, The Dorm Room Diet. She’s also the founder of HealthCorps, a non-profit organization that helps teens by providing educational information about nutrition, exercise and stress management.

Who else (besides Jack Lescoulie) has hosted late night’s iconic talk show?

These days, if you blink, it’s possible The Tonight Show will have a new host. Turn your head for a minute, and a new face will walk through the curtain to deliver the nearly 60-year-old late night talk show’s monologue.

At least it seems that way.

But the truth is the show’s early years were ripe with changing hosts, different formats, and celebrity controversy. It wasn’t until Johnny Carson took the desk in 1962 that the show settled down for three decades – and truly became the powerhouse program we know and love today.

So who has hosted The Tonight Show? And when did they reign? Here’s a rundown.

1.  Steve Allen – 1954 to 1957

Steve Allen was Tonight‘s first host. His run on the show set the bar for nearly every talk show to come. He was a pioneer, and his impact is still felt today. How so? Well, Allen is considered the originator of the talk show monologue, the comedy sketch break, and playful banter with the audience. So, in a very big way, we could consider Allen the father of the modern day talk show. Because Allen was so popular with viewers, NBC gave him his own prime time talk show. Rather than quit the Tonight Show, Allen hosted both programs simultaneously, sharing hosting duties with Ernie Kovacs during his final 1956-57 season.

2.  Jack Lescoulie & Al Collins – Six months in1957

You’ve never heard of Jack Lescoulie and Al “Jazzbo” Collins. You’re not the first. At least when it comes to talking about The Tonight Show. Lescoulie, a radio and television announcer, and one-time host of The Today Show, and Collins, a deejay, radio personality and recording artist, hosted the show for six months in 1957 after Allen retired. NBC completely revamped Tonight, at the time, turning it more into a late-night Today show. The format didn’t work. By year’s end, Jack Paar was behind the desk in a once-more formatted Tonight Show, this one more closely resembling the format we know and love today.

3.  Jack Paar – 1957 – 1962

Most consider Jack Paar the true Tonight successor to Steve Allen. Perhaps most famously, Paar abruptly quit The Tonight Show after NBC censored one of his monologue jokes. After delivering his monologue the following evening, Paar walked out, leaving his announcer, Hugh Downs, to fill in for the remainder of the program. He returned – a month later – delivering the famous line, “As I was saying before I was interrupted … I believe the last thing I said was ‘There must be a better way to make a living than this.’ Well, I’ve looked – and there isn’t.”

4.  Johnny Carson – 1962 to 1992

Johnny Carson will be forever known as the king of late night television. His 30 years as host of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson serves as an achievement – both in longevity and artistically – for current and future talk show hosts to aspire. Carson reinvented the monologue, scored with clever skits and memorable characters, and became loved by Americans young and old. Nearly every major talk show host of the last 20 years includes Carson as both an inspiration and an influence, including David Letterman, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.

5.  Jay Leno – 1992 to 2009

After Carson retired from Tonight, comedian and regular guest host Jay Leno took over the late night desk – but not without some controversy. Most people assumed Late Night‘s host, David Letterman, would be named Carson’s replacement. But heavy lobbying – and some questionable actions by Leno’s then-manager, including planting a false story about NBC executives want Carson gone – scored Leno the job. Leno had the last laugh, though, regularly beating his late night competition in the ratings. Leno also brought a more mellow, California-flavor to the program.

6.  Conan O’Brien – June 2009 to January 2010

When Leno left late night to take a shot at primetime in 2009, Late Night host Conan O’Brien stepped into the role of Tonight Show host. Then the wheels came off the bus. Leno’s primetime program was flailing in the ratings, O’Brien wasn’t doing much better with his younger version of Tonight, and NBC felt pressure to bring Leno back to late night. Another messy transition saw O’Brien relinquish his role as host, break his contract with NBC and bolt for greener pastures on TBS. Leno returned to late night after a little more than nine months away from The Tonight Show.

7.  Jay Leno – March 2010 to present

Since his return after cancellation of The Jay Leno Show, Leno has steered Tonight to relatively stable ratings. But as he faces new competition from Jimmy Kimmel, who is steadily pulling coveted young viewers away from Tonight, Leno faces another challenge. How long can he keep his seat before NBC asks him to leave?

8.  Jimmy Fallon – ???

Rumor suggests that Leno’s contract will not be renewed when it is up in 2014. If true, then who will follow Leno? Most bets are on Late Night host Jimmy Fallon, who has done well to try to stay out of the conversation as much as possible. If Fallon does take over, further rumor suggests that The Tonight Show will return to New York from L.A. Possible? Sure! Anything’s possible. We just have to wait and see.

When Seth Meyers became the fourth host of NBC’s Late Night franchise in February 2014, it became suddenly apparent that some of the funniest late night hosts in the history of the medium got their start on that 12:30 a.m. show.

David Letterman, who retires from late night altogether later this year, made his mark on Late Night in the 1980s and 90s before moving to CBS. He was replaced by Conan O’Brien, a host with little to no experience in front of the camera, but with a strong television and writing production background. No one thought he would last more than a few weeks. His run lasted longer than a decade.

Jimmy Fallon came after Conan and surprised many viewers with his interviewing skills and mastery over the comedic and musical sketch – honed after years on Saturday Night Live. Fallon’s replacement came from the same show (as did Conan), and the untested Meyers is doing just fine, thank you very much.

All four hosts brought their special sense of the humor to the ever evolving show. Here are some of our favorite funny quotes from those four hosts.

David Letterman, host from 1982 to 1993

I had no idea this thing was televised. Boy, is my face red.

If it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.

USA Today has come out with a new survey: Apparently three out of four people make up 75 percent of the population.

I’m just trying to make a smudge on the collective unconscious.

What the hell’s the date, Paul?

Conan O’Brien, host from 1993 to 2009

When all else fails there’s always delusion.

A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: ‘Duh.’

In Cleveland there is legislation moving forward to ban people from wearing pants that fit too low. However, there is lots of opposition from the plumber’ union.

It’s a good thing I was born in this century, when superfluous television seems to be part of the economy.

Jimmy Fallon, host from 2009 to 2014

Thank you… motion sensor hand towel machine. You never work, so I just end up looking like I’m waving hello to a wall robot.

The one thing you shouldn’t do is try to tell a cab driver how to get somewhere.
Thank you… fantasy football draft, for letting me know that even in my fantasies, I am bad at sports.

Don’t keep reaching for the stars because you’ll just look like an idiot stretching that way for no reason.

Thank you, horseradish, for being neither a radish nor a horse. What you are is a liar food.

Seth Meyers, host from 2014 to present

I’m a terrible grocery shopper. I hardly ever do it. And if I do, there’s never more than three things in the bag.

I love cheese plates. Though I actually hate cheese plates. Because I can’t say no to them.

The nice thing about anger is that, as an emotion, it’s strong enough to unplug me from the comedian’s mind for a minute and just be a frustrated member of the citizenry.

Once you get past funny, my other qualities are so below average. It’s not like I’m handy.