American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson seemed to have finally found the right man when she
wed Brandon Blackstock in 2013. The happy couple got engaged after a year of dating,
and two children soon followed their happy union, forming a blended family with Brandon’s two kids
from a previous marriage. Then, earlier this year, fans were left reeling when Clarkson and
Blackstock suddenly announced they were divorcing after seven years of marriage.
As Us Weekly reported, Clarkson was the one who filed, citing "irreconcilable differences".
The family was quarantining together during the COVID-19 pandemic at their Montana ranch at the
time. The divorce came after public declarations of love from both sides,
predominantly on Clarkson's popular talk show. Although it seems they ultimately
fell out of love, it remains to be seen if these two can part ways amicably.
“Not just for me but also for my current husband. I’m like
‘this isn’t happiness’, you know? For both of us.”
The couple was initially introduced by Clarkson's former manager,
Narvel Blackstock, who is also her soon-to-be former husband's father. Their paths first crossed
at the 2006 American Country Music Awards, when Blackstock was managing country stars
Rascal Flatts. Clarkson recounted the day they met in a 2013 interview with People:
"This guy walks by, making everybody laugh. I said, 'I'm gonna end up with him. I know it."
Although it turns out that Blackstock was married to first wife Melissa Ashworth at
the time, the American Idol alum couldn't let him go, admitting:
"For the next six years, I'd go on dates and be like, 'Man,
I didn't get that feeling I got that one time [with Brandon].'"
The two reconnected in 2012, and, by that time,
Blackstock had been divorced for a year. They were engaged just a short while later.
Blackstock followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a talent manager,
counting the likes of Blake Shelton, who co-hosts The Voice with Clarkson,
among his high-profile clients. Blackstock's father founded Starstruck Entertainment in 1988,
and, while Clarkson was married to his son, he managed her, too.
What's more, Blackstock counts country legend Reba McEntire as his stepmother, as she was
married to his father for more than 20 years, though the two split in 2015. Clarkson and the
country icon previously joined forces for their 2008 co-headlining world tour, and the two ladies
got much closer once the talk show host married into the family, as McEntire told E! News in 2018.
Clarkson was reportedly devastated when the couple got divorced, a source revealed to Closer Weekly.
Clarkson broke her silence on the divorce during an emotional moment
on The Kelly Clarkson Show, explaining:
"What I'm dealing with is hard
because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts."
The divorce initially seemed amicable, but ultimately turned acrimonious
when the singer-songwriter was awarded primary custody of their two children.
As USA Today reported, court documents detailed how the couple would share
joint physical and legal custody of daughter River and son Remington,
with Clarkson holding primary physical custody in L.A. The papers detailed how,
quote, "the level of conflict between the parents has increased" and "the parties have a difficult
time co-parenting due to issues of trust between them." They also stated that neither
parent is allowed to "speak in a derogatory manner" about the other in front of the kids.
Clarkson and Blackstock's divorce took another nasty turn when the music manager sought
$436,000 in monthly spousal and child support from the Voice host. A source told People:
"Kelly's offered to pay for all the kids' expenses, but Brandon seems to think
he is entitled to and needs $301K in spousal support and $135K in child support per month."
Blackstock's request would entitle him to a whopping $5.2 million annually. Complicating
matters, Clarkson claimed Starstruck Entertainment defrauded her out of millions of dollars.
She asserted, per documents obtained by Us Weekly,
that her agreement with the management company was a, quote, "fraudulent and subterfuge device"
because her managers weren't licensed to practice in California. Therefore,
Clarkson wishes to recoup fees paid to them during the 13 years they acted on her behalf. Her
countersuit came after Blackstock's father claimed Clarkson owed $1.4 million in unpaid commissions.
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