It’s been quite a year — closer to 18 months, really — for Kelly Clarkson since filing for divorce from Brandon Blackstock. Divorce proceedings got ugly quick, with the couple's lawsuits against each other, disagreements over custody of their children, and the seemingly never-ending saga of what to do with their ranch in Montana. After everything she’s been through, though, the daytime talk show host has no regrets about her love life, as she said it’s shaped her into the person she is. So might we see Clarkson start dating again anytime soon?
The divorce between Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire’s stepson Brandon Blackstock was supposed to be final as of January 7, but sources allegedly say that she’s not quite ready to dip her toes back in the water. HollywoodLife reported sources saying that the singer didn’t want to date until the divorce was final, and she’s apparently taking her time to deal with what has been a huge life transition.
That is just not where Kelly is at right now. She hasn’t been on dates, or even found someone that catches her interest yet. She is still adjusting to her new normal in life and a romantic relationship just isn’t on her radar at the moment.
I don’t think anybody would blame Kelly Clarkson for not wanting to jump back into a relationship just yet. While the divorce is clearly what she and Brandon Blackstock think is the right move for her family, it’s been an emotional process, as Clarkson has shown quite a few times, both as a coach on The Voice and on her talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show. The sources said her friends want to see her happy and have been encouraging her to put herself back out there, but Clarkson allegedly said she “isn’t convinced that she’s ready just yet.”
Kelly Clarkson indicated as much herself back in December on the Love Someone podcast with Delilah, saying that love and dating just weren’t on her radar at the time. She has said that she doesn’t have any regrets about her marriage, despite how nasty everything got in the end with Brandon Blackstock. That said, she also said that while she might be open to the possibility of love at some point in the future, she definitely does not see herself walking down the aisle again.
Maybe in the future, you never know. Well, I do know I won’t get married again, but I just mean you never know about love, it’s one of those things where we’re engineered — especially from where I’m from — to have to have that. And I don’t have that need.
She also spoke about her dating style during an interview with Andy Cohen on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December. The Voice coach said she wasn’t good at picking up on red flags during first dates, and admitted to wanting to keep those first meetings casual. Coffee dates were more her thing, Kelly Clarkson joked, as opposed to a seemingly more-committal dinner or cocktails date.
I might be more of like a coffee person, to be like, ‘I don't know if I'm willing to invest in an evening with you yet.’ . . . I'll be single forever.
It was only a joke, but something tells me that if Kelly Clarkson were single forever, she’d be just fine. She should take as much time as she wants to get back in the dating game, and if and when that happens, it should be on her terms. In the meantime, it’s not like she doesn’t have tons of stuff on her plate. The American Idol winner has said she’s enjoying spending time with her two kids when she’s not hosting her talk show or coaching on The Voice.
Even though The Voice won’t return to the air until fall, fans are hoping to see the reigning champion — who won the show for the fourth time in Season 21 with the trio Girl Named Tom — rekindle the rivalry she’s built with Blake Shelton. Stay tuned to our 2022 TV Schedule for a premiere date for The Voice Season 22, and check your local listings to catch The Kelly Clarkson Show on NBC.
