Neil deGrasse Tyson Almost Became a Stripper

Neil deGrasse Tyson—astrophysicist, science communicator, and destroyer of Pluto's planetary status—once stood at a career crossroads that had nothing to do with the cosmos. During graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin, he was broke, brilliant, and seriously considering a very different way to make money: male exotic dancing.

This wasn't some idle fantasy. Tyson actually researched the opportunity, crunched the numbers (because of course he did), and visited a club to see what the job entailed. The pay was tempting for a struggling grad student. The hours were flexible. The math seemed to work out.

Then came the educational moment.

Great Balls of Fire (Literally)

What Tyson witnessed that night became the deal-breaker heard round the physics department. The male dancers didn't just strut and flex—they performed with lighter fluid-soaked jockstraps that they set ablaze while dancing to Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire."

Let that image sink in. These weren't simple choreographed routines. This was performance art meets fire hazard, and it required a level of commitment that even a future astrophysicist wasn't prepared to give.

Tyson made a quick calculation: his equipment was worth more to him unsinged. He walked out and never looked back.

The Road Not Taken

Instead of exotic dancing, Tyson chose the significantly less dangerous path of math tutoring. Less dramatic? Absolutely. Better for his future career trajectory? Undoubtedly. His genitals certainly appreciated the decision.

The irony isn't lost on anyone familiar with Tyson's career. The man who would go on to make science sexy through television and social media almost took a more literal approach to that concept. Instead, he became one of the most recognizable scientists in the world, directing the Hayden Planetarium and hosting "Cosmos."

Tyson has shared this story multiple times over the years, including in his autobiography and various interviews. He tells it with his characteristic humor and self-awareness, acknowledging that graduate school poverty makes people consider all sorts of creative income streams.

A Different Kind of Star Power

Today, Tyson's star power comes from explaining black holes, not gyrating near them. His Twitter following exceeds most celebrities, his podcast reaches millions, and he's become the go-to scientist for making complex astrophysics accessible to the masses.

But somewhere in an alternate universe—possibly in a multiverse he'd be happy to explain—there's a timeline where Neil deGrasse Tyson became famous for an entirely different skill set. In that universe, he probably still talks about the cosmos. He'd just be doing it while working a pole.

The lesson? Sometimes the best career decisions are the ones you don't set on fire.