Kelly Clarkson became a household name during the first season of American Idol in 2002. Clarkson was an immediate star, having a powerhouse voice and and a large personality. Kelly has always been easy for her fans to relate to, being a down to earth woman who tells it like it is, stands up for what she believes in, and lets her fans into her life.
The world fell in love with the young girl with a huge talent and a sad back story that lead to one of her biggest hits, 'Because of you'. Her father abandoning her when she was six played into much of Kelly's insecurities growing up, and it enforced the need to marry a man that she would spend her life with. As far too many know, good intentions don't make for life turning out the way you want, and Kelly filed for divorce in June 2020.
What Kelly Says About Her Divorce
In reality, Kelly has given very few specifics about her divorce, and nothing of her decision to do so. What Kelly has said, is that she didn't see it coming. Usually and open book on her life, Kelly is careful not to say too much about what happened, saying that there are "little hearts involved", referring to her and her husband's 4 children. In a video interview with ET, Kelly said that she is a "momma bear" before anything else and will do whatever it takes to protect her children from the spotlight when it comes to her divorce.
What Friends Say
While Kelly remains tight lipped about the reasons behind her marriage ending, some people close to the couple have been a little more willing to discuss what they know. Some friends speculate that quarantine is what forced the couple to realize that they had too many differences to overcome. Being in such close quarters with each other, working together and raising kids, had them butting heads with no where to escape for some time apart to cool down.
What Really Happened?
No one knows for sure what made Kelly Clarkson file for divorce from Brandon Blackstock, but typically, any couple, especially such a high profile couple, will run into trouble when they work as hard as these two do. Kelly is on The Voice, has her own talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and is a singer, of course. Brandon is a talent manager to stars such as Blake Shelton and Kelly herself, as well as being an executive producer on her talk show. Kelly has said that she and Brandon both consider themselves to be right all the time, which could definitely lead to some pretty heated arguments.
In a recent interview with Seth Meyers, Kelly made no bones about telling her husband that for her birthday, she wanted to be left alone. She didn't want to do anything or be with anyone, just herself. She went on to say that with her work and kids, there was little time for herself and less appreciation shown toward her. She had enough and wanted to spend her birthday enjoying her own company. This sounds like a typical request from a tired mom, nothing more. In time, perhaps Kelly will feel like sharing this part of her life, but for now, it remains unclear as to why her fairytale marriage ended so abruptly.
The Divorce Settlement
In court, Kelly asked that the prenup she had Brandon sign when they got married, is enforced so that she will protect her amassed net worth of over 45 million dollars. She is also asking for sole physical custody and joint custody of the children. She is worried that Brandon will try to find a way to have the prenup made void, or have slight amendments, because he will need to find new clients, now that he will likely not be representing Kelly with her singing career or remain a part of her talk show.
What Happens Next?
Kelly is busier than ever working on her next studio album, coaching on The Voice and doing her talk show. She will undoubtedly be putting her emotions and feeling into her music, giving her an outlet to release her sadness in a way that won't negatively affect the little hearts that she so fiercely wants to protect.
Sources: Seth Meyers Show, ET, People