On her latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly Clarkson, 40, discussed celebrating the holidays post-divorce. While speaking with her guest, singer-songwriter Jewel, Clarkson says about her children spending time with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, “In the beginning, I was a mess, but now I’m like ‘it’s awesome.’ And absence does make the heart grow fonder.” Poor Kelly!
Clarkson and Blackstock, the former stepson of country singer Reba McEntire, had an ugly two-year divorce, which was finalized in March 2022. The former couple shares two kids–8-year-old River Rose and 6-year-old Remington–and with the holiday season in full swing, the singer got real about how she and her ex handle the holidays post-divorce.
While she gets primary custody of their two kids, Clarkson and Blackstock have joint physical custody of them, with the talent manager getting their children one weekend a month. But, the holidays are a different story.
Clarkson says that her ex-husband gets the children for Thanksgiving, and she gets them for Christmas, “It’s weird because you’ve always had a kid there, and all of a sudden you’re alone. At first, it’s weird, and then you’re kind of like ‘Ah, OK,’ I can do things, and it’s kind of incredible. You get a little me time.” How bittersweet!
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Divorce timeline
To call Clarkson’s divorce a roller-coaster would be an understatement. A lot has happened between Clarkson and ex-husband Blackstock since the “Since U Been Gone” singer filed for divorce in June 2020 after seven years of marriage.
The two were originally seeking joint custody of their children, according to documents obtained from July 2020. Clarkson, who legally changed her last name after the divorce, asked the court to deny any request for spousal support and enforce the prenuptial agreement filed before their wedding in 2013.
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Blackstock was originally seeking a monthly payment of $301,000 in spousal support and $135,000 in child support, totaling $436,000 per month. He also asked his estranged wife to pay his $2 million attorney fees. In July 2021 the pop rock star was ordered to pay her ex an estimated $200,000. Wow!
Then, on March 8, 2022, TMZ reported that they reached a final divorce settlement. The judge signed off on Kelly having primary custody of their two kids, while Blackstock had them for one weekend every month. Clarkson’s ex-husband also received $115,00 in alimony ending in January 2024.
Clarkson discussed how hard the divorce proceedings were for her and her children: “There are so many hard parts and the hardest for me is the kids,” she shared, noting that “female friendships” are what helped her get through the tough times. “That’s the hardest part for me. You know, I always think as women, especially we’re trained to take it all on and you can deal with it and you’re fine. But it’s your babies that you worry about.” We can’t even imagine!
READ MORE: Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About ‘Rough Couple Of Years’ After Divorce From Brandon Blackstock
Kelly Clarkson steps out for recent Christmas performance
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Although she was glum about not spending time with her children for the holidays, Clarkson recently guest-performed on the Season 22 finale of The Voice, which aired Tuesday, December 13.
She performed her festive duet, “Santa Can’t You Hear Me,” featuring Ariana Grande. The song appears on her 2021 holiday album When Christmas Comes Around. Unfortunately, for this performance, Clarkson flew solo because Grande was in London. Clarkson dazzled the audience with her powerhouse vocals while dressed in a deep blue velvet gown adorned with sparkly snowflakes.
