Bill Nye, the former host of the children's show "Bill Nye The Science Guy," was reportedly paid $35,000 to tell Rutgers University graduates over the weekend that climate change is real.
According to NJ.com, Nye — the keynote speaker at Sunday's graduation — said climate change deniers need to "cut it out."
"Climate change is a real deal," Nye said. "So, hey deniers — cut it out, and let's get to work."
Nye hosted the popular Disney/PBS science show aimed at children from 1993-1998. Known for wearing a blue lab coat and a bow tie, Nye would discuss natural science through a mix of seriousness and comedy.
Nye has stayed relevant since the show ended by making several appearances in the media pertaining to science. He has also been outspoken about climate change, and recently
joined President Barack Obama on an Air Force One flight to Florida's Everglades on Earth Day.
According to the NJ.com report, Rutgers grads chanted Nye's name before he walked onstage to deliver his remarks.
"I learned from Bill Nye probably more than any other science class because he is so awesome, and I was so excited to see him speak today," graduate Michael Bruchert, who majored in journalism and media studies, told NJ.com.
"It's a heavy topic, but it's something that was necessary to address," graduate Jesse Bagley said in the report. "He's right. We all have an opportunity to make a choice as far as that goes, so it was something that we needed to hear."
In December, Nye and a group of 48 other science experts said in a statement that climate change
skeptics should instead be called "deniers."
"Proper skepticism promotes scientific inquiry, critical investigation and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims," the statement read. "It is foundational to the scientific method. Denial, on the other hand, is the a priori rejection of ideas without objective consideration.
"[Sen. James] Inhofe's belief that global warming is 'the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people' is an extraordinary claim indeed. He has never been able to provide evidence for this vast alleged conspiracy. That alone should disqualify him from using the title 'skeptic.'"
Nye even got involved in the
deflated footballs scandal surrounding the NFL's New England Patriots earlier this year,
saying the team's explanation for why the balls had less air than allowed by the rules just didn't hold water — or air.
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