In 2022, after months of messy legal wrangling, Kelly Clarkson finalized her divorce from Brandon Blackstock.
In 2024, the war still rages on!
When things were all said and done, the divorce settlement wasn’t ideal — Clarkson was forced to pay millions to Blackstock — but at the time, at least she could say it was all over with.
Or so we thought! Here’s the latest on Kelly Clarkson’s divorce!
Kelly Clarkson Sues Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock – Again!
In March 2024, Kelly filed a fresh lawsuit against her ex-husband and former manager Brandon Blackstock.
She claims in the motion that Brandon and his father Narvel Blackstock’s management firm, Starstruck Entertainment, violated labor laws since the beginning of their relationship with Clarkson, which started in 2007.
Clarkson alleges in the lawsuit that Starstruck “was not licensed as talent agents” and argues that the firm never “obtained a talent agency license from the California Labor Commissioner.”
To put in plainly, Kelly’s legal team is claiming that because Brandon and his family weren’t licensed talent agents, all the money they received while working for her, “including, but not limited to, any and all commissions, fees, profits, advances, producing fees, or other monies,” should be returned.
How much could that even be?!
This comes just months after a California agency ordered him to repay the singer over $2.6 million.
Kelly won that previous lawsuit – though Brandon is appealing – with the courts ruling her ex must pay back millions of dollars for fees he took out of her work on The Voice, the Billboard Music Awards and other projects.
Oh, you thought the divorce was settled? Not by a long shot! In fact, this divorce may continue to be complicated for many, many years to come.
Kelly Clarkson’s Divorce: What Happened
It’s sad to think that less than a decade ago, Kelly was a happily married woman.
Kelly and Brandon tied the knot in 2013, ushering in a new era fro the American Idol singer.
While they were married, the couple welcomed two children: daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander.
But the romance wasn’t meant to last. Kelly filed for a divorce in 2020 – and that’s where all the trouble started.
Almost immediately, Brandon and the Starstruck company sued Kelly for unpaid commissions. Then, as the divorce stretched on, Brandon made demands for everything from property to millions of dollars.
The Divorce Settlement
In 2022, after two years of contentious legal battle, Kelly and Brandon agreed to a divorce settlement.
On the family side of things, they agreed to joint legal custody of their children, with Kelly obtaining primary custody.
Court documents revealed that Kelly was on the hook to pay monthly spousal support payments of $115,000 through Jan. 31, 2024, as well as $45,601 in child support monthly until the children reach 18.
On top of all that, she was required to pay her ex-husband a one-time payment of $1,326,161.
But the divorce settlement only settled that – their divorce.
Their lives were so intertwined, as he acted as her manager, that the legal waring continues, as mentioned above.
And honestly, we don’t see it ending ANY time soon. Maybe that’s why Kelly’s admitted she won’t get married again.
Will Kelly Clarkson Ever Marry Again?
“No. I never wanted to get married the first time,” Kelly admitted in an interview with PEOPLE after her divorce was finalized.
She how things have panned out for her, we can’t blame her, but it’s interesting that she didn’t even want to lock it down to begin with.
As it usually is with situations like this, she did for him.
“[Brandon] had children, a religious background, and it was important, I think, for him. But I’ve never been that person. Because I’ve been through a couple divorces in my family, I just don’t like to put any weight on it. It can happen; it doesn’t have to happen. For my kids, I definitely would never even think about it until they’re out of my house.”
Her Decision To Leave ‘The Voice’
Of course, the split took an emotional toll on Clarkson.
In fact, it seems that she felt the need to step away from certain professional obligations in order to focus on her family.
After her divorce was finalized, Clarkson revealed she wouldn’t be returning to The Voice for the show’s 22nd season.
Plenty of viewers were disappointed, but at the time, it seemed for the best.
She stepped down from the gig in order to devote more time and energy to her mental health and her children.
“I hadn’t had a minute and it’s obviously been a rough couple of years,” Kelly explained in a interview with the Today Show‘s Hoda Kotb at the time.
Clarkson explained that over that summer, when she would have been filming blind auditions for The Voice, she was instead spending quality time with her kids in Montana.
“The kids were with me, and with their dad,” she said.
“It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation. So we were both in Montana. It felt kind of the first time– I think my kids felt a little more centered as well, so it was nice.”
Kelly’s Career Leap Forward
With the retirement of Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly’s talk show movied into the timeslot previously occupied by the reigning Queen of Daytime.
So, Kelly suffered some setbacks in her personal life in recent years, but she took a massive step forward in her career.
Obviously, fans would prefer that she not have to go through all the pain she’s endured because of her ex.
But they love her all the more because of how candid she’s been about everything.
Through good times and bad, Kelly tells it like it is.
As much as her music, that candor has made Clarkson one of the most successful media personalities on the planet.
And it will no doubt serve her well as she continues to turn tragedy into triumph in the next stage of her career.