Kelly Clarkson Divorces Husband, Becoming Miss Independent Once More

Alexa, play “Breakaway.” No, play “Since U Been Gone.” Wait, play “Miss Independent.” Kelly Clarkson is filing for divorce from Brandon Blackstock, her husband of nearly seven years, according to Us Weekly and the Blast. The outlets obtained a June 4 filing from Clarkson in Los Angeles, where the couple had put their home up for sale in April. They moved from Nashville to L.A. the year before, when Clarkson began working on The Kelly Clarkson Show — although they’ve been quarantining on their ranch in Montana with their children. Clarkson and Blackstock have two kids together, 5-year-old River and 4-year-old Remington, while Blackstock has two children from a previous marriage.

Complicating matters, Blackstock is Clarkson’s manager, also working with her The Voice co-star Blake Shelton. They first met through Clarkson’s former manager Narvel Blackstock, who is Brandon’s father (and Reba McEntire’s ex-husband), at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards. Clarkson and Blackstock met once again at the 2012 Super Bowl, where she sang the National Anthem, and began dating shortly after. They were engaged by December 2012 and married in October 2013, with Blackstock taking over as her manager afterward. “I think it comes down to respect,” she told Marie Claire in 2018 of hiring Blackstock. “I wouldn’t have hired Brandon to be my manager if I didn’t see firsthand how great he is at that and how much he cares about Blake [Shelton].” She’s made multiple songs about their marriage, including the emotional “Piece by Piece” and the celebratory “Tie It Up.” But she’s made even more about overcoming things on her own. Alexa, play “Stronger.”