Life imitates 'Drumline': Nick Cannon is going to Howard University
It's back-to-school week across America, as students mark the end of summer by returning to class and posting their first-day-of-school outfits on Instagram.
One of these students was Nick Cannon, who revealed he's enrolled as a freshman at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
He announced his new life path to fans in an Instagram snap earlier this weekend. "YOU KNOW!!!!! #HU2020 My First Day as a Freshman!!! Howard University Class of 2020," he wrote in the caption.
In an interview with ET, the America's Got Talent host shared that he's majoring in "strategic legal and management communications," describing how attending college was a lifelong dream.
"It's something I've always wanted to do, and I truly feel like it's the next stage in my life," he said. "Entertainment is outstanding but I truly want to utilize my voice, I want to be a part of the community, and I'm always encouraging young people and being an advocate for education, so I need to make sure I get mine first."
His educational goals are bigger than just a bachelor's degree. "I'm not just going to start, or stop in 2020," he said. "I'm going all the way to get [my] PhD."
Cannon may dream of trading Hollywood soundstages for law libraries, but for now, he's still hosting America's Got Talent two days every week, posting a selfie after his return to the set Tuesday night from his weekend in D.C.
So how does he plan to make it back to Howard for his classes?
"I am using these airplanes likes school buses," he joked. "I get Tuesday and Wednesday off ‘til AGT is over and then my full credits kick."
The actor/singer attended another historically black college in the past, albeit a fictional one. Cannon starred in the 2002 movie Drumline, where he played a marching band drummer at the fictitious Atlanta A&T University, similar to Howard.
Other entertainers have also attended Howard, most notably Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, who attended in 1989-1990 and received an honorary doctorate in 2014.
Cannon also posted two #SoGoneChallenge on Instagram right after his back-to-school shot, rapping about how he's chasing a less materialistic life path: "It's the money that makes (expletive) get ugly."
"You can catch me up at Howard, get my college degree," he continued.
(Warning: explicit language)
While Cannon chases educational enlightenment, his ex Mariah Carey is also staying busy, debuting her forthcoming reality showMariah's World at the TCAs in August.