Kelly Clarkson has been generating buzz in 2020 for more reasons than her role on The Voice and her daytime talk show due to her divorce from Brandon Blackstock. Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock back in June, and the case is currently ongoing. Now, Clarkson has scored a big win involving custody of her children with Blackstock.
A judge has awarded primary custody of 6-year-old River and 4-year-old Remy to Kelly Clarkson, according to TMZ, deciding that the two children should not be moved back and forth on a regular basis between Clarkson's home in Los Angeles and the family ranch in Montana where Brandon Blackstock intends to live. Blackstock reportedly wanted joint custody of the kids.
The judge apparently made the decision based on the fact that young River and Remy are residents of California rather than Montana. While Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock were granted joint physical and legal custody, Clarkson will have the children almost all of the time in Los Angeles.
Brandon Blackstock will have the children on the first, third, and fifth weekends each month, with the first and fifth weekends requiring Blackstock in L.A. to spend time with them. River and Remy will travel to the ranch in Montana for the third weekend.
The order awarding primary custody of the two children to Kelly Clarkson reportedly also states that Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock aren't permitted to insult each other to River and Remy, and neither can drink or smoke marijuana within eight hours of driving with the children in the car. This was a big win for Clarkson.
That said, the case is still complicated. Brandon Blackstock has since filed for spousal and child support from Kelly Clarkson, in the amounts of $301,000 in spousal support and $135,000 in child support. And that's not all. Blockstock is also seeking $2 million from Clarkson for attorney's fees.
Notably, Kelly Clarkson had requested that she not be forced to pay any kind of spousal support to Blackstock when she initially filed for divorce back in June. Brandon Blackstock seemingly only filed for the support and attorney's fees on November 30, so there may be a wait before a judge's ruling becomes public.
Kelly Clarkson is known for being open and willing to talk, especially now that she has her own talk show, but she has been upfront about withholding more than usual when it comes to her divorce. Citing her "mama bear" drive to protect her children, Clarkson hasn't been sharing her full experience publicly. That didn't stop her from referring to 2020 as a "dumpster fire," and I think there are plenty of people who agree with her on that count.
That said, Kelly Clarkson did publicly deny that her work in television is what led to her divorce, as suggested by one Twitter user after Clarkson filled in for the ailing Simon Cowell on an episode of America's Got Talent. Clarkson is also facing a legal battle with her father-in-law. She did win an Emmy this year for her work on The Kelly Clarkson Show, though!
You can find Kelly Clarkson on television with new episodes of The Voice on NBC. If you're in the market for some additional options in the not-too-distant future, be sure to check out our 2021 winter and spring premiere schedule.
