Putting their family first! After finalizing her divorce, Kelly Clarkson offered a glimpse at her coparenting approach with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
“It’s obviously been a rough couple years so it was really important to me to, like, shut down for a minute,” Clarkson, 40, told Today on Tuesday, August 23, about taking daughter River, 8, and son Remi, 6, to Montana for the summer. “I literally four-wheeled in the mountains, and I have a lot of water on my property so my sister, my nephew and I, and a couple friends just spent the whole summer in the mountains, just hanging out in nature.”
The singer noted that Blackstock, 45, joined them on the trip, adding, “The kids were with me and with their dad. It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation so we were both in Montana so, it was the first time I think my kids felt more centered as well.”
The Texas native’s comments come after her divorce was settled earlier this year. Clarkson originally filed the legal paperwork in June 2020 following nearly seven years of marriage. In the documents obtained by Us Weekly, the American Idol winner cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split.
The former couple, who tied the knot in 2013 after dating for two years, ended up in a lengthy legal battle over their Montana property. Amid the proceedings, Clarkson filed a separate motion requesting to be declared legally single in July 2021. She was granted the request two months later.
The host of The Kelly Clarkson Show was later ordered to pay Blackstock nearly $200,000 per month, including temporary payments of $150,000 each month in spousal support. Clarkson, who was granted primary custody of their kids, has also been paying an extra $45,601 per month for their children.
The performer, for her part, previously opened up about the “tough” process of attempting to coparent with an ex.
“I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places, and it’s like, we both agree on the main things, but it’s a hard thing when you’re not together all the time, for me personally,” she said on her talk show in February 2021 to guest Khloé Kardashian. “As long as you make sure it’s about the children and their best interests, then we’re both on board.”
Clarkson later addressed how her divorce from Blackstock affected aspects of her career. “Everybody knows the huge divorce I went through and it’s been, like two years and not easy with kids,” she explained in June on The Chart Show With Brooke Reese. “I’m just navigating what I’m comfortable with releasing. So, it’s just a hard thing to navigate.”
The “Because of You” singer added: “I just got to get my crap together. I just got to figure out what I’m going to release. I’ve never had this difficult of a project.”
