Neil deGrasse Tyson to host first ever National Geographic talk show

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Neil deGrasse Tyson is coming to late night television.

The famed astrophysicist has inked a deal with National Geographic to host the channel's first ever late-night talk show, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The show will be based on Tyson's Star Talk podcast -- where "science, pop culture and comedy collide" -- and will feature interviews with celebrities and science commentary from the likes of Bill Nye, among others.

Tyson said in a statement via The Hollywood Reporter the National Geographic Channel "is the perfect home as we continue to explore the universe."

"Cosmos allowed us to share the awesome power of the universe with a global audience in ways that we never thought possible," he said. "To be able to continue to spread wonder and excitement through Star Talk, which is a true passion project for me, is beyond exciting."

The series will be taped weekly in front of a live audience at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium in New York City and will make its small screen debut in April.

"We continue to bolster our programming with series and event specials that are brand definitional, and Star Talk is the perfect opportunity to offer our audience an edgy, late-night alternative with the credibility and authenticity that are the hallmarks of our network," said National Geographic's CEO Courteney Monroe.

Tyson, an astrophysicist, cosmologist and author, is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.