Just because you’re a doctor, doesn’t mean you work in a hospital.
And although the vast majority of celebrities cannot practice as a physician of medicine, actually a pretty large amount of famous people were and are more brainy academically than we may have imagined. These following surprising celebs have earned their doctorates in tons of various types of specialties.
Celebrities with Ph.D.s
Hunter S. Thompson
The Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas author had more under his belt than just a sweet collection of cigarette-holders, aviator sunglasses, and some of the most comical and brilliant writing of a generation. The novelist, activist, and author held his Ph.D in Journalism from Columbia University. Sure, he wasn’t a medical doctor, but as he would say, he was a “doctor of journalism.” In fact, if you google “doctor of journalism” the first result will be Thompson’s name.
Brian May
Photo: Fanart.tv
Brian May is most famously known as the guitarist from Queen. But, did you know that over 30 years after beginning his studies he finally earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics from Imperial College in 2007? So not only does he know how be a star who can seriously slap some strings but he also knows a thing or two about the stars in the sky. We may know him from hits like “We Will Rock You” but less realize that he co-wrote many books including Bang! The Complete History of the Universe.
Mayim Bialik
Photo: Parade.com
Bialik might be most well-known for his starring role on the 90’s hit sitcom Blossom or the modern day hit “The Big Bang Therory” but, she’s actually super smart in real life. I mean, come on, her dissertation was called “Hypothalamic regulation in relation to maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative, and satiety behaviors in Prader-Willi syndrome.” She graduated with her degree in neuroscience from UCLA in 2008.
Dexter Holland
Photo: Blabbermouth.net
Famous 90’s band, the Offspring, ha d a pretty smart lead singer. Some might say he’s “Pretty Fly for a White Guy.” He has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. He helped author a paper called “Identification of Human MicroRNA-Like Sequences Embedded within the Protein-Encoding Genes of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus.”
Kermit the Frog
In 1996, one of the world’s most beloved frogs, Kermit from the Muppets was honored by Southampton College with his honorary Doctorate of Amphibious Letters.
Shaquille O’Neal
Photo: Huffington Post
After Shaq finished 19 seasons on the b-ball court in 2011, he received his doctorate in leadership and education from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. He had a 3.81 GPA finishing with a capstone project called, “How Leaders Utilize Humor or Aggression in Leadership Styles.”
Sterling Morrison
Source: PleaseKillMe.com
When we think of the Velvet Underground, we normally think of Lou Reed and other members such as Sterling Morrison. However, Morrison actually got his Ph.D. in medieval studies at the University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
Rachel Maddow
Source: Rolling Stone
Before Maddow got her Ph.D. in politics from Oxford, she was already in broadcasting. However, she didn’t return to broadcasting until she got her Ph.D. back in 2001. Her dissertation was about healthcare reform for AIDS patients in prisons.
