Is Rudolph Female? Neil deGrasse Tyson's Reindeer Post Sparks Viral Christmas Debate

What happens when science meets Santa Claus? Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is once again at the center of a holiday firestorm after posting a scientific take on Santa's reindeer. His claim: Rudolph and the rest of the crew are all female. The post on X quickly went viral, racking up over 3.1 million views and igniting a massive debate that mixed sarcastic humor with genuine annoyance.

"You Must Be Fun at Parties"

The controversy kicked off when Tyson explained a biological detail about reindeer. "Both male & female Reindeer grow antlers, but males lose them in late Autumn," he wrote. Based on this, he concluded that Santa's sleigh-pullers must be female, meaning Rudolph has been "persistently misgendered." The reaction was swift and sharp. "You’re never gonna believe this, but Reindeer can’t fly around the world either," one user retorted. Another added, "Quit taking everything so seriously." The backlash suggested that people were less bothered by the science and more exasperated by what they felt was a pedantic and ill-timed critique of a beloved holiday tradition.

A Holiday Tradition of Debunking

For longtime followers, this is familiar territory. Tyson made the exact same argument on December 25, 2015, sparking a similar wave of responses accusing him of "ruining Christmas." His scientific curiosity about Rudolph isn't limited to antlers. In December 2011, he analyzed the physics of Rudolph's nose, initially stating that a shiny nose reflects light and would be "useless for navigating fog." He later corrected himself, noting that red light penetrates fog well, so a glowing nose would indeed be useful.

Rudolph's Corporate Origins

Ironically, the debate over Rudolph's scientific accuracy is applied to a character born not from folklore, but from a marketing department. The Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 by copywriter Robert L. May for a Montgomery Ward holiday promotion. The story, given away in a free booklet, was about an underdog saving Christmas. The character's fame was cemented when the story was adapted into a song in 1949, becoming one of the best-selling Christmas singles of all time.