{"id":32967,"date":"2026-06-10T20:24:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/brittany-bells-three-kids-with-nick-cannon-shaped-her-doctorate\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T20:24:34","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:24:34","slug":"brittany-bells-three-kids-with-nick-cannon-shaped-her-doctorate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/10\/brittany-bells-three-kids-with-nick-cannon-shaped-her-doctorate\/","title":{"rendered":"Brittany Bell&#8217;s three kids with Nick Cannon shaped her doctorate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>June 9, 2026<span class=\"gnt_ar_ut\">Updated June 10, 2026, 11:59 a.m. ET<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__bv\"\/>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__bvd gnt_x__h\"\/>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Brittany Bell, Nick Cannon\u2019s ex, earns doctorate inspired by her kids\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Brittany Bell, the mother of three of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2026\/05\/04\/nick-cannon-kids-dating-gender\/89926477007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Nick Cannon&#8217;s<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2022\/11\/03\/nick-cannon-how-many-kids-does-he-have\/8260191001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">12 children<\/a>, earned her doctorate degree with a fitting dissertation: research about fathers of multiple children with different women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Bell, a model, earned a doctor of psychology degree from Alliant University in May, she shared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DY0jbzBmFxv\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.proquest.com\/openview\/c4991ead62ddb2fb0fc729cc3dcb8559\/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&amp;cbl=18750&amp;diss=y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">dissertation<\/a>, titled &#8220;Black Fathering and the Experiences of the Adult Child With Multiple Siblings From Different Women,&#8221; focused on people who have several siblings from the same father but different mothers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The former Miss Guam titleholder and Cannon have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2022\/11\/03\/nick-cannon-how-many-kids-does-he-have\/8260191001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">three children<\/a> together: Golden, 9, Powerful, 5, and Rise, 3.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2025\/03\/20\/nick-cannon-kids-vasectomy\/82562788007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Cannon<\/a> also shares twins Moroccan and Monroe with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2020\/02\/15\/nick-cannon-done-marriage-after-mariah-carey-divorce\/4770548002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">ex-wife Mariah Carey<\/a>, twins Zion and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2024\/04\/03\/nick-cannon-autism-son-zillion\/73189222007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Zillion<\/a> and daughter Beautiful with Abby De La Rosa, daughter Halo and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/celebrities\/2021\/12\/16\/nick-cannon-grieving-his-son-zen-therapy\/8922677002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">late son Zen<\/a> with Alyssa Scott, son Legendary with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/entertainment\/tv\/2023\/05\/19\/selling-sunset-season-6-bre-tiesi-nick-cannon-son-children\/70232606007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Bre Tiesi<\/a> and daughter Onyx with LaNisha Cole.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp\">Need a news break? <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":body nav (play)|e|auto spike click:6|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_sp_a\" href=\"https:\/\/play.usatoday.com\/?itm_source=SPIKE&amp;itm_campaign=PLAYSPIKE&amp;itm_medium=ONSITE\">Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!<\/a><\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_mt\">Brittany Bell dedicates doctorate dissertation to kids with Nick Cannon<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:448px\" fetchpriority=\"high\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/09\/USAT\/90473062007-2186902887.jpg?crop=3873,2628,x842,y288&amp;width=660&amp;height=448&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/09\/USAT\/90473062007-2186902887.jpg?crop=3873,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/2628,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/x842,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/y288&amp;width=1320&amp;height=896&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"(L-R) Nick Cannon, Brittany Bell and their children attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios' &quot;Moana 2&quot; at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California on Nov. 25, 2024.\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Bell dedicated her dissertation to her children, who she called the &#8220;heart of everything I do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;You are my reason, my grounding force, and my greatest source of strength. I love you,&#8221; she wrote in the dedication.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">She also dedicated the study to &#8220;every man and woman who chooses to break patterns that no longer serve them and continue to rise in the pursuit of healing, growth, and self-definition.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The research aimed at investigating &#8220;the lived experiences of adult males fathered by Black men who did not reside in the home and who fathered multiple children with different women,&#8221; according to the abstract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The 39-year-old later said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/CXi2EZ1jF_U?si=2p7Vvhs-1ez94Db0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">February 2025 interview<\/a> on the &#8220;Change Your Brain Every Day&#8221; podcast that her research topic was inspired, in part, by her own experience with her father, who died by suicide, as well as her stepfather.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__bv gnt_x__bvnh\"\/>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Nick Cannon dishes on his 45th birthday and the 'expensive tradition' his kids enjoy\">\n<div class=\"gnt_em_vp_w\" data-g-r=\"vp_tp\" data-c-vt=\"exco\" data-c-vpa=\"pl=teal-storyinline&amp;nm=2&amp;exv=article_ctp&amp;plcmt=1&amp;cc=entertainment\/celebrity\/2&amp;iu=\/7103\/usatoday\/preroll_video\/&amp;iei\" data-c-vpd=\"{&quot;adsEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;awsPath&quot;:&quot;entertainment\/entertainthis&quot;,&quot;byline&quot;:&quot;Entertain This!&quot;,&quot;cd&quot;:1759955106679,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;length&quot;:97,&quot;headline&quot;:&quot;Nick Cannon dishes on his 45th birthday and the 'expensive tradition' his kids enjoy&quot;,&quot;hlsURL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/hlsmedia.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/videos\/presto\/renditions\/86588516007\/21385681-22f6-422a-8959-b204e80be07c\/480p_30fps,720p_30fps,1080p_30fps,master.m3u8?subtitles=86588516007&quot;,&quot;id&quot;:&quot;86588516007&quot;,&quot;keywords&quot;:&quot;Celebrities &amp; Entertainment News,Podcasts,TV Shows &amp; Programs,Local Affiliate - Arts &amp; Entertainment,Entertain This!,Nick Cannon,Mariah Carey,Celebrity Pregnancies and Births,Celebrity Children,Birthdays,Disneyland,Comedy Shows,Comedy,Podcasts,Vertical Video,Video Syndication - OTT Platforms,Video Syndication - USAT,Overall Neutral&quot;,&quot;mp4URL&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/videos\/presto\/renditions\/86588516007\/21385681-22f6-422a-8959-b204e80be07c\/1080p_30fps.mp4&quot;,&quot;origin&quot;:&quot;USA TODAY&quot;,&quot;pageURL&quot;:{&quot;long&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/videos\/entertainment\/entertainthis\/2025\/10\/08\/nick-cannon-birthday-interview\/86588516007\/&quot;},&quot;promoBrief&quot;:&quot;Nick Cannon, on the set of his Wondery podcast \u201cWe Playin\u2019 Spades,\u201d chats with USA TODAY\u2019s Ralphie Aversa about his 45th birthday and his 12 kids.&quot;,&quot;propertyName&quot;:&quot;USATODAY&quot;,&quot;series&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;ssts&quot;:{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;entertainment&quot;,&quot;subsection&quot;:&quot;entertainthis&quot;,&quot;topic&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;subtopic&quot;:&quot;&quot;},&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Nick Cannon reveals the \u2018expensive tradition\u2019 he has with his 12 kids&quot;,&quot;tna&quot;:[&quot;Celebrities &amp; Entertainment News&quot;,&quot;Podcasts&quot;,&quot;TV Shows &amp; Programs&quot;,&quot;Local Affiliate - Arts &amp; Entertainment&quot;,&quot;Entertain This!&quot;,&quot;Nick Cannon&quot;,&quot;Mariah Carey&quot;,&quot;Celebrity Pregnancies and Births&quot;,&quot;Celebrity Children&quot;,&quot;Birthdays&quot;,&quot;Disneyland&quot;,&quot;Comedy Shows&quot;,&quot;Comedy&quot;,&quot;Podcasts&quot;,&quot;Vertical Video&quot;,&quot;Video Syndication - OTT Platforms&quot;,&quot;Video Syndication - USAT&quot;,&quot;Overall Neutral&quot;],&quot;videoStill&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/10\/08\/USAT\/86588542007-et-thumbs-nick-cannon-usat-1.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0&quot;}\"><button class=\"gnt_em_vp_a gnt_em_vp__tp_a\" data-g-r=\"vp_tg\" aria-label=\"Play video\"><img alt=\"\" class=\"gnt_em_vp_img\" data-g-r=\"lazy vp_po\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/10\/08\/USAT\/86588542007-et-thumbs-nick-cannon-usat-1.jpg?crop=1919,1079,x0,y0&amp;width=660&amp;height=371&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2025\/10\/08\/USAT\/86588542007-et-thumbs-nick-cannon-usat-1.jpg?crop=1919,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/1079,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/x0,https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/y0&amp;width=1320&amp;height=742&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\"\/><svg class=\"gnt_em_vp_svg\"><use xlink:href=\"#gnt_svg_video_play\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_mt\">Brittany Bell jokes that doctorate dissertation is &#8216;coincidental&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Bell, who also has a <a href=\"https:\/\/go.skimresources.com\/?id=83224X1595658&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fsuns%2Fnews%2Fmissarizona_111209.html&amp;xcust=SC1-USAT&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fentertainment%2Fcelebrities%2F2026%2F06%2F09%2Fbrittany-bell-doctorate-degree-nick-cannon%2F90471234007%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-v-afl=\"\" data-t-l=\"\u2691f:b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">bachelor&#8217;s degree<\/a> from Arizona State University and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/Cd1A932JXza\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">master&#8217;s degree<\/a> from Pepperdine University, spoke about her doctoral dissertation in the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/CXi2EZ1jF_U?si=2p7Vvhs-1ez94Db0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">February 2025 interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Right now my dissertation topic is a phenomenological study on Black fathering \u2013 how coincidental,&#8221; she said at the time.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;Sounds a little autobiographical,&#8221; said Dr. Daniel Amen, to which Bell responded, &#8220;Yeah, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But the former NBA cheerleader told Amen that the topic was not her first choice. Rather, an advisor suggested it after Bell mentioned being interested in research on Black parents, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I said, &#8216;okay, you&#8217;re on point,'&#8221; Bell said. &#8220;She didn&#8217;t know anything about my personal life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_x__c gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/melinakh\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">@melinakh<\/a> and Instagram <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bymelinakhan\/\" data-t-l=\":b|z|k|\u2691u\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@bymelinakhan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June 9, 2026Updated June 10, 2026, 11:59 a.m. ET Brittany Bell, the mother of three of Nick Cannon&#8217;s 12 children,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2026\/06\/09\/USAT\/90473062007-2186902887.jpg?crop=3770,2121,x911,y367&width=3200&height=1801&format=pjpg&auto=webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[214],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32967"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32967\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}