Kelly Clarkson’s divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock has been anything but smooth, and now the 39-year-old singer has filed to legally change her name to Kelly Brianne to further differentiate from her past self. The pair were married for seven years, and while a battle surrounding finances is still brewing between the former couple, Clarkson is evidently ready for a fresh start.
In court documents filed earlier this month and obtained by Us Weekly, Clarkson stated that she had “a desire” to begin going by her first and middle names as “my new name more fully reflects who I am.” A hearing on Clarkson’s latest petition will take place on March 28, but the singer has yet to publicly speak on her new name.
Clarkson has been open about the difficulty of her divorce and her adjustment to being a single mother, telling Taraji P. Henson on The Kelly Clarkson Show, “I thought we were done with quarantining, and I’m so tired. I broke a nail. I’m so broken. This is me broken. My almond milk just expired. America, this is what I look like. You’re welcome.”
One of the primary points of contention between Clarkson and Blackstock is who has sole ownership of the Montana ranch they once lived in together. Since the split, Blackstock has been living in the home but a judge ruled that as it was purchased with Clarkson’s money, she was the rightful owner.
However, last month the pair finally came to an agreement where Clarkson has offered to give her ex-husband 5.12% of the property, while stipulating that he does not have ownership of the land. As of last August the singer was declared officially single by a judge after Clarkson had requested the previous month that she and her former partner "both deserve the opportunity to build a new life."
