HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 22: (L-R) Joel McHale, Jaylen Brown, Bill Nye and Ross Shafer pose as Bill Nye is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 22, 2025 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images …
LOS ANGELES - Bill Nye the Science Guy was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday.
What we know:
The star, located at 6357 Hollywood Blvd., is the 2,821st since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961.
The ceremony featured speeches from actor and game show host Joel McHale, Boston Celtics player Jaylen Brown, and comedian Ross Shafer.
The backstory:
Born in Washington, D.C. on November 27, 1955, Nye earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 1977.
He then took an engineering job at Boeing, where he worked on hydraulics systems for 747s. In 1978, after winning a regional Steve Martin lookalike contest, Nye began performing at comedy clubs in the Seattle area.
He eventually quit his job at Boeing in 1986 to pursue comedy full-time.
A key moment in his career came in 1987 when he met with his former astronomy professor, Carl Sagan, at a Cornell reunion. Nye sought Sagan's advice on creating a successful television series, and Sagan advised him to focus on "pure science."
"Bill Nye the Science Guy" aired from 1993 to 1999 and received 36 Emmy nominations, winning 19.
Nye later hosted the 2005 public television series, "The Eyes of Nye," aimed at an older audience, the 2017-18 Netflix series, "Bill Nye Saves the World," described by the streaming service as "a talk show exploring scientific issues that touch our lives," and 2022 Peacock series, "The End is Nye," exploring natural and unnatural disasters.
Nye's other television appearances include two episodes of "The Big Bang Theory." He portrayed author and 1934 California Democratic gubernatorial nominee Upton Sinclair in the 2020 film "Mank."
Nye has been CEO of The Planetary Society since 2010. The organization was co-founded by Sagan in 1980. Its mission is "empowering the world's citizens to advance space science and exploration."
Nye received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, on Jan. 4, from then-President Joe Biden for earning "the trust of millions of children and families," through his experiments on "Bill Nye the Science Guy" and inspiring "generations of Americans to follow facts and reason and leave the world better than we found it."
What they're saying:
"Recognition by one's peers always means a great deal, but being here in Hollywood means a great deal to people far beyond our peers in television and movies," Nye said. "We export our culture around the world. ... For me, being a permanent part of all this, of Hollywood, is quite an honor. As has been said many times, when you're in love, you want to tell the world. And I love science. I love comedy. I love television."
The Source: This report is based on information from official announcements and public records. Details about the ceremony and Nye's career were compiled from information released by the Hollywood Walk of Fame and historical facts regarding his professional background. A direct quote is included from then-President Joe Biden, which was released when Nye received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.