Kelly Clarkson Ordered to Pay Ex-Husband $200,000 Monthly in Support
Michael Buckner/Getty Images Reading Time: 3 minutes
Kelly Clarkson is facing a financial battle with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. The Grammy winner has now been ordered to pay nearly $200,000 per month in spousal and child support. As per a Los Angeles County judge, Clarkson will be required to compensate Blackstock $150,000 per month in spousal support with an additional $45,601 per month in child support.
Kelly Clarkson’s Costly Legal Battle with Ex-husband
Financial listings reveal that the talk show host earns a whopping $1,583,617 per month in income. According to the court order, Clarkson is also required to pay an astounding $1.25 million in attorney fees for the ongoing divorce.
The couple ended their marriage in 2020 and have two children together. River Rose Blackstock who was born in 2014, and Remington Alexander Blackstock, born in 2016. As Clarkson and her ex-husband both come from divorced households, she says she is doing her best to protect her children.
A source close to the Clarkson family spoke to PEOPLE about the custody ruling:
“Divorce is hard and it gets tense for most couples going through it. But Kelly’s primary focus is on doing the best she can to protect the kids,” the source added in the interview. “In this case, she had to fight for them since Brandon and his attorneys were making unreasonable requests.”
After the amount of financial support was revealed, fans took to social media to air their anger and empathy for Clarkson. As many commenters pointed out, $200,000 is more money than most people make in an entire year. Others were quick to remind that Blackstock’s father apparently did the same thing.
“Wait…wait…wait. Brandon Blackstock decided he wanted a divorce from Kelly Clarkson and now she has to pay him nearly $200,000 a month? His dad did that same sh*t to Reba McEntire. It is true that an *sshole does not fall far from the rotten tree that his dad frequents,” one person tweeted.
Nearly $200,000 Monthly in Support, For What?
It was revealed that Brandon Blackstock had been aiming for more than double the amount in support. In the current arrangement, Clarkson’s ex-husband will receive $195,601 in total from the singer each month. As fans pointed out, this includes child support for children he does not have full custody of. Blacktock will essentially walk away at the end of the year with nearly $2.4 million in support.
Blackstock, a former entertainment manager, has decided to leave his occupation in the business to become a full time rancher. His future plans apparently focus on sponsoring rodeos and tending to the land. Blackstock was also a longtime manager of Blake Shelton, Clarkson’s co-star on The Voice.
In the divorce, Clarkson requested that the court allow her to sell their ranch property in Montana. However, it was denied by the judge and agreed that Blackstock would be responsible for the finances of the property. This includes the mortgage, loans against the property taxes, and insurance.
The former couple have also just listed their $10 million home in Los Angeles. It is still unclear at this time how funds from the real estate will be divided among the parties.
