Divorce is never easy — just ask singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson. It's even more difficult when you have kids. Kelly has been in the midst of a battle with ex Brandon Blackstock, and the most recent development comes with quite a big price tag.
While negotiating child support, it came out that Kelly has been ordered to pay $45,601 per month for 6-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington Alexander. That's quite a bit for your standard parent, especially considering that Brandon is a talent manager. In fact, he used to manage Kelly, and he currently manages Kelly's co-judge on The Voice, Blake Shelton.
That makes it a bit confusing as to why he's also receiving spousal support from Kelly, which is said to be around $150,000 per month, making her total monthly contributions just under $200,000.
That's not all. Kelly is also expected to pay the fees of Brandon's attorneys, which are said to be around $1.25 million. It seems unfair for Kelly to have to pony up so much money when Brandon seems capable of supporting himself and his children. But it seems like Kelly may be willing to do whatever it takes to leave this marriage behind her.
Kelly has one good piece of news to see her through. Her popular daytime series, The Kelly Clarkson Show, has been renewed until 2023. So Kelly knows that no matter what, she'll have a reliable source of income until then. Kelly is also smart enough to have multiple projects going on, as she is still very much in demand.
While she seems to want nothing more than to move forward, she's admitted that getting divorced has brought her shame. She actually brought it up with Garth Brooks, when Garth was a guest. She knew that Garth had been through divorce before, prior to marrying Trisha Yearwood.
"I'm going through a divorce and there's been like a lot of books and people always give you stuff to like help, especially when you have kids and stuff," Kelly told him on the set. "And I know you've been divorced as well. It's like, man, there's so much shame and guilt, and everybody sends you stuff, and I was just kind of working through it."
"I couldn't quite nail down the feeling," Kelly continued. "You don't want to say that didn't count or matter, but you don't know what to put in it because it didn't work out how you wanted. I kid you not, I was listening to my playlist and 'The Dance' came on and I was like, that's the thing."
The song, which is also popular for those who've lost their spouses, includes lyrics like, "Looking back on the memory of the dance we shared 'neath the stars above. For a moment all the world was right. How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye. And now I'm glad I didn't know. The way it all would end, the way it all would go. Our lives are better left to chance. I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance."
"I was bawling," Kelly said. "It is true, there's a lot of loss, a lot of grief and a lot of change, especially if you have kids." She also admitted it's strange how the song truly had more meaning later in life. "Sometimes that's so crazy. You've known this song your entire life and you freak out when it actually is a direct impact."
Kelly initially filed for divorce on June 4, 2020. After that, she was often spotted without her ring. Things were reportedly tough for months, with an insider telling Entertainment Tonight that "Kelly and Brandon had been having problems for several months and were making a conscious effort to work things out. They both hoped quarantining away from L.A. in Montana would help them work things out in their marriage, but instead the change in environment was actually detrimental."
One of the most heartbreaking things is that it seems like Kelly really did strive to save the relationship. And now her fans are standing behind her more than ever when the news of the financial breakdown came out. People can't believe that Brandon, the father of her two children, would even think to come after her with so many financial demands.
The fact that Brandon is employed — and has been for some time — is not the best look. While fans don't necessarily know what happened in the marriage, sometimes actions speak louder than words. And based on what's been revealed, it seems like while Kelly was hoping to save the marriage, Brandon looked at their split as a financial gain.
Issues like this also paint the marriage in an even worse light. Ever since news of the divorce hit, Kelly — who was granted primary custody of the kids — has been nothing but respectful. She knows that her heart isn't the only one that's broken, and she vowed to try to keep things out of the media. But even if things are copacetic between the two behind the scenes, asking for what seems like excessive financial support makes it seem like Brandon only thought about his own gain instead of his family.
Hopefully, Kelly knows that she has an army of fans who stand behind her and will continue to support her. No matter what, the next person who comes along in Kelly's life will hopefully respect her, her hard work, and her two wonderful kids, who are also trying to figure out this new normal.
