Why Did Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Divorce? Inside Breakup – Hollywood Life

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock’s high-profile divorce came as a surprise to many fans, especially after nearly seven years of marriage. The pop star and talk show host filed for divorce in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences, but the legal battle that followed revealed deeper tensions behind the breakup. The “Miss Independent” artist initiated the split, leaving fans wondering: what went wrong?

Despite the end of their marriage, Kelly stayed by Brandon’s side while he faced health challenges. In August 2025, she postponed the remainder of her Las Vegas residency, sharing that her children’s father had been ill. “At this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she wrote in a heartfelt Instagram statement, thanking fans for their understanding. Just one day later, Brandon died from cancer.

Keep reading to learn everything we know about their divorce and their family.

Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas.
 
While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.
 
I am sincerely sorry to… pic.twitter.com/eDNxHdjtlh

— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) August 7, 2025

When Did Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Start Dating? 

The former couple first met in 2006 but didn’t start dating until early 2012, as Brandon was still married to his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth until they finalized their divorce that year. By the end of 2012, he and the “Since U Been Gone” artist got engaged. While announcing their engagement, Kelly gushed over Brandon’s proposal being the “happiest night of [her] life” via Twitter (now known as X). 

While speaking with People at the time, Kelly described the moment Brandon popped the question. “Out of nowhere I just said, ‘Thanks for being an awesome guy.’ I’ve never been loved properly by a man, and I was just like, ‘I thank you so much for that,’” she recalled. In 2013, the couple got married. 

Throughout their marriage, Kelly opened up about their love. During an interview on SiriusXM in 2017, the “Behind These Hazel Eyes” singer explained that she “never felt … sexually attracted to anybody before [Brandon].” While pointing out that she wasn’t shading any of her exes, Kelly noted,  “I honestly thought I was asexual — I’d never been turned on like that in my whole life. I was like, ‘Oh that’s that feeling … OK! That’s what they were talking about in Waiting to Exhale. I just got it. I just didn’t have a clue.”

By 2019, Brandon — being Kelly’s manager at the time — encouraged his then-wife to pursue her own talk show, which would go on to be The Kelly Clarkson Show. After most people had to quarantine at home amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Kelly revealed that she and Brandon were staying at their shared Montana ranch. During a May 2020 virtual discussion with her other coaches from The Voice, Kelly called her then-husband her “partner in crime.” 

However, things took a drastic turn because two months later, she filed for divorce from Brandon in June 2020. 

Why Did Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Divorce? 

In her divorce filing, Kelly cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split, according to multiple outlets. The pair didn’t finalize their divorce until 2022 because they went back and forth over multiple legal disputes, including the custody of their children and their shared property in Montana. Ultimately, Kelly was ordered to pay Brandon over $1 million up front as well as $115,000 per month in spousal support. However, he was later ordered to pay Kelly $2.6 million due to several business deals he oversaw for Kelly’s career. 

The following year, the “Because of You” artist gave fans insight into her and Brandon’s breakup. 

“If you’re on the same path at the same time — and you’re actually working together, and every day communicating together and doing the work — I think that it could be beautiful. But for me, it wasn’t that and it was very limiting,” she noted during a 2023 appearance on the “We Can Do Hard Things” podcast. “That’s my fault, for allowing that to happen. Maybe, as in love as I was, I just wasn’t ready and maybe the other person wasn’t either.” 

Their split gained renewed attention in August 2025 following Brandon’s death from cancer at age 48, when it was revealed in his obituary that in his final years, he had been in a relationship with Brittney Marie “Bree” Jones — Kelly’s former personal assistant — and that the two were living together on a Montana ranch they co-owned. An insider told the Daily Mail that Kelly’s reaction to learning of the relationship was one of deep hurt, describing it as “just the icing on the cake of the disappointment [she] felt over the delusion of their marriage.”

“Brandon chose to move on with someone Kelly knew and trusted, and that just adds to the person he ended up being to her. He was a great father, but wasn’t a great husband,” the source added.

How Many Kids Do Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Have? 

The ex-spouses share two children together: son Remington Alexander and daughter River Rose. Kelly welcomed River Rose in 2014 and Remington in 2016.