"Unfortunately this is insanely funny"—Internet reacts as Bill Nye trends on X over viral autograph story post

William Sanford Nye, commonly known as Bill Nye, is again making headlines. However, this time it is not for his Presidential Medal for Freedom but a meeting with a little fan who has now narrated the alleged incident. An X (formerly Twitter) user claimed that she was dismissed by Bill Nye when she asked for a photo in her younger years.

For the unversed, Bill Nye, who is also called Science Guy has always been a popular figure among children. He is a science educator in pop culture as he has been hosting TV shows to demonstrate science experiments to children for decades. For one or the other reason, Nye makes it to the headlines. This time, he is even trending on X.

Bill Nye began trending on the microblogging platform ever since a user revealed that he was rude to them when she asked for a photo. The user mentioned that she was in sixth grade when the incident allegedly unfolded. However, in reply, Nye reportedly said that she does not have enough money. The user wrote,

"I asked Bill Nye for a photo when I was in the sixth grade and he said 'you don’t have enough money' and walked away laughing at me lol."

The user was replying to a post in which another user asked netizens about incidents when a celebrity was rude to them. In continuation, the user gave some additional information that involved John Glenn.

"John Glenn was next to him and was extra nice because he watched him do that, even politely responding to my question of 'so what’s it like to be old in space' with 'well I’m old in all places' which is kind of beautiful."

The post went viral and netizens have since then been commenting on it. A user found it funny as they wrote,

"Unfortunately this is insanely funny, sorry."

Another user called Nye a "fake scientist." Many others shared their alleged meetings with Nye and mentioned how he is "notoriously mean." One also claimed that people have previously talked about Nye being rude to them. One also added that he was being a "jerk". Some also questioned his qualification to be called a scientist.

This is not the first time netizens have argued about Nye's qualifications. Whether he has a PhD or not was also discussed when he was honored with the Presidential Medal for Freedom last month.

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Why did Bill Nye receive the Presidential Medal for Freedom?

Last month, former President Joe Biden honored Nye with the medal for his contribution to space exploration, science education, and making science accessible through his shows. Soon netizens began to question whether Nye was qualified enough to be called a scientist.

For the uninformed, Bill Nye worked as a mechanical engineer for Boeing before he entered the entertainment industry. While he also wanted to become an astronaut, NASA rejected his application. As he entered the world of entertainment, he soon found success and began hosting science shows for children.

Science Friday has reported that Nye has honorary doctorate degrees from six universities and institutes. They are: Lehigh University, Willamette University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Goucher College, John Hopkins, and Quinnipiac University.

Moreover, he is also a visiting professor at Cornell University.