In recent weeks, Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blacklstock have been back in the news as the two settle the details of their divorce. Clarkson landed primary custody of their two kids, though Blackstock will be paid a monthly amount in spousal support and in child support. Though the details are finally being squared away, what prompted the couple to split in the first place?
What Kelly Clarkson Has Said About Her Divorce
Officially, the two have cited “irreconcilable differences” as the cause behind the divorce. Clarkson filed the paperwork first in June of 2020 and the divorce has been working its way through completion since then. The singer has also been fairly candid about her feelings, previously saying that she was willing to talk about them but that it wasn’t a great time for her family.
There's a lot of hearts involved here. And you know, that's the thing that's been kind of hard to navigate is I am an open book, but at some point I'm a mama bear more than I am a person in the public eye. So, I care one hundred percent more about my children than I do anything else on this planet. So, that's been the hard thing of, like, yes, I'm willing to share my experience and yes, it is the worst. I mean, the past few months have been horribly sad.
She also interviewed Jill Biden and spoke with the First Lady about what it was like to be wary of receiving another proposal after going through a divorce. The first lady told her “over time you heal.” Later, Clarkson herself recounted the interview with Hoda Kotb about a second marriage:
You understand that’s a really hard thing to dive back into. That’s not an easy situation. So it’s really, really cool. And honestly, funny segue, it is sometimes in divorce -- that’s why I gravitated toward this… but people who have been through a divorce and love someone so much. You feel that. I know this message well in my heart.
She also told Willie Geist divorce is “the worst thing ever for everyone involved” and has been very open about her the actual divorce process on her own talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. She said earlier in 2021 that she was most worried about the impact of the divorce on the two kids she shares with Brandon Blackstock, River Rose and Remy.
I'm obviously going through one right now. It’s horrible. There are so many hard parts. The hardest for me is the kids, that’s the hardest for me. I think, as women especially, we're trained to take it all on and deal with it and you're fine. But it's your babies that you worry about.
Kelly Clarkson has also been open about co-parenting with Brandon Blackstock following their ultimate split, but the thing she’s been most vague about is the “why” of it all, outside of the irreconcilable differences filing. However there are some explanations for what may have happened.
What Others Have Said About Kelly Clarkson And Brandon Blackstock’s Divorce
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock were both busy people prior to the pandemic. He managed the career of Blake Shelton and spent time working on his ranch in Montana -- though Shelton is no longer a client. Clarkson is on The Voice, she has her own talk show, and she still has a music career. Then, the pandemic hit and the kids and their parents reportedly spent four months in Montana together.
It was at the tail end of quarantine that the daytime talk show host filed for divorce. Now that they are living apart, Clarkson plans to stay in the Los Angeles area and Blackstock plans to stay in Montana (though the ranch has been at the heart of a divorce dispute.)
Along with a desire to be in two separate places, a report around the time the divorce was filed mentioned that there was simply a personality clash between the two after seven years of marriage. According to a source who spoke with US Weekly,
They clashed on so many levels, and being in quarantine together heightened their problems to the point of no return. So she filed for divorce. Everyone thought Kelly and Brandon had the perfect marriage, but they definitely didn’t. Brandon’s very laid-back, whereas Kelly’s pretty high-strung.
With kids in school and everyone stuck at home, quarantine was challenging for even the most seasoned of couples, and it laid bare problems that might have been able to be swept under the rug or put aside otherwise. Luckily, things seem to be moving forward with the divorce. For her side of things, Kelly Clarkson also recently celebrated a legal victory whilst she was in the middle of actually filming The Voice. So, hopefully the former couple will be able to start the process of moving on soon.
