Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock to Divorce: All the Signs They Were Headed for a Split

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Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock to Divorce: All the Signs They Were Headed for a Split

Already gone? There were subtle signs the Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock were headed in different directions in the weeks leading up to her divorce filing. Us Weekly confirmed on Thursday, June 11, that the 38-year-old “Since U Been Gone” songstress and the 43-year-old music manager split after nearly seven years of marriage. According to the court documents, Clarkson filed to end her marriage on June 4. The American Idol alum and Blackstock, who exchanged vows in October 2013, share two kids: daughter River, 5, and son Remi, 4. He is also the father of daughter Savannah, 18, and son Seth, 13, from his previous marriage to Melissa Ashworth. In recent months, Clarkson has been open about trying to balance being a wife and mother with her career. “In any industry it's hard to be a working parent. It’s hard to fit your kids in, your significant other in, your family,” the Voice coach told Us and other reporters in December 2019. “It’s hard thing to do and also hold down a job that you really believe in and you're into. And especially this industry is very demanding.” [jwplayer 0DeP5gl2] The Kelly Clarkson Show host added that she “always” tells her Voice team to prioritize family. “I actually just said, I was like, ‘family is first and foremost. Family is always first.’ I think a lot of people put all their confidence and worth and value in this job and it's fleeting,” she noted six months before she filed for divorce. “We have expiration dates, everyone does in every job. So I always really encourage them to just do this because they really love to because if you don't, it's just a lot of work and you're not getting to be around your loved ones as much as you want to be. I’m a Debbie Downer. I don't mean to be, but I like to be realistic.” Scroll through to see all the signs Clarkson and Blackstock were on the rocks:

Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Clarkson/Instagram

Houses on the Market

Clarkson listed her Hendersonville, Tennessee, estate for nearly $7.5 million in December 2019. Five months later, the singer put her Los Angeles mansion on the market for $9,995,000.

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The Kid Debate

Clarkson revealed in May that she and Blackstock disagreed about expanding their family.

“I so want another child, and my husband is like, ‘No! We have four!’” she revealed during an interview with Gordon Ramsay after he brought his son Oscar, 14 months, into their Zoom interview for the Kelly Clarkson Show.

The “Catch My Breath” singer reflected on growing up with a single mother in December 2019. “My mama was a single mom. So she had to work. So I just think that the time that she did have, she'd try her damnedest to just be with me and be present,” she told Us and other reporters at the time. “We all only have so much time, but as long as that time is valued, I think it's good.”

Credit: YouTube

Kelly’s Birthday Wish

Clarkson rang in her 38th birthday in April solo — on purpose.

"I literally looked at my husband, ‘cause it was a rough week of work and non-stop everything, and I said, ‘I don't want to cook one damn meal. I don't want to clean one article of clothing. I don't want to do anything.' … If my children were to come in and hug me, that's fine and then they leave,” she recalled on Late Night with Seth Meyers in May. "So, on my birthday, I literally asked to be left alone, which is funny since we're all in isolation. But I am not in isolation. I'm constantly surrounded by people. So, I was alone and I enjoyed it and I did nothing but eat stuff that probably I gained 10 pounds and I watched, you know, whatever I was watching … I don't even remember."

Credit: Courtesy of Kelly Clarkson/Instagram

Their Social Media Activity

Clarkson hasn’t posted a photo with Blackstock since March.

“Quarantine hair don’t care,” she wrote alongside a photo of the producer and their daughter horseback riding. “Daddy’s giving River riding lessons and she loved it.”

While it’s unclear if Clarkson ever followed her now-estranged on the app, she is not currently keeping up with him via Instagram. Blackstock, however, follows Clarkson.

Credit: Faye Sadou/Media Punch/INSTARimages.com

Quarantine Struggles

Clarkson has been candid about how difficult it has been for her to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

“I’m cooking all the time and cleaning all the time while doing work for several things. It’s the most insane thing ever, honestly. And I drink a bit of wine, but we’re hanging in there, so it’s good,” she said on the Today show in April. “In all seriousness, it is funny with the kids and it is hard doing the teaching and all those kinds of things, but it can be depressing, this kind of isolation. It can be a little dark for everyone and there’s a lot of uncertainty.”