Bobby Brown Receives Mixed Reactions Over His Honorary Doctorate From Leaders Esteem University

Many people are scratching their heads over the honorary doctorate degrees Bobby Brown and his wife recently received.

The New Edition singer took to Instagram on Monday, March 11, to share a video celebrating the honorary doctorate he and his wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown received from Leaders Esteem University for their humanitarian work with Bobbi Kristina Serenity House. Brown launched the domestic violence-focused non-profit to honor the memory his late daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown who passed away in 2015 at age 22.

“Our work with @bobbikristinaserenityhouse is only just beginning, and I’m honored to accept this prestigious title and honorary degree in Humanitarianism from @leaders.esteem.university,” he captioned his post.

“I am grateful and humbled to stand alongside my beautiful wife @aliciaetheredgebrown as we accept the titles of Dr. Bobby Brown and Dr. Alicia Etheredge-Brown.”

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A post shared by Bobby Brown (@kingbobbybrown)

While Brown received swarms of supportive messages on his Instagram post, the responses were drastically different when The Shade Room reposted the video on its page.

“I find it weird that celebrities get honorary degrees meanwhile I had to work hard and pay for mine,” one viewer wrote.

“I’m not with honorary degrees. Definitely a slap in the face to those who worked for it,” added someone else.

There was one Instagram user who defended Brown’s honorary degree and explained the difference between a doctorate and an honorary doctorate.

“Doctorate degrees embody scholarly achievements, specialization, and the advancement of knowledge within a particular field,” the user explained. “Honorary doctorate degrees celebrate exceptional accomplishments and contributions to society. Don’t compete where you don’t compare.”

Brown and his wife launched the Bobby Kristina Serenity House in response to her death from domestic violence in 2015. The non-profit aims to eliminate the epidemic of domestic violence against women, children, and families, according to the website.

Services offered include free confidential 24-hour emergency counseling, transitional safe-havens, and initiatives to combat homelessness and aid in mental health. Medical records show Bobbi Kristina died as a result of immersion in water and drug intoxication.

She passed away in hospice in July 2015, six months after being found unresponsive in a bathtub. The details surrounding her death were very similar to how her mother Whitney Houston passed away three years before at age 48.

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