The Red Flag Kelly Clarkson Noticed In Her Marriage To Ex Brandon Blackstock

In 2020, Kelly Clarkson surprised everyone when she filed for divorce from husband Brandon Blackstock after nearly seven years of marriage. 

In court documents obtained by People, the "Since U Been Gone" singer cited irreconcilable differences as the main catalyst behind their separation. At the time, it was reported that the pair had been secretly going through some marital problems, which were only made worse by being stuck in lockdown during the COVID pandemic. "They clashed on so many levels, and being in quarantine together heightened their problems to the point of no return. So she filed for divorce," a source told Us Weekly. They added that Clarkson and Blackstock didn't have the fairy-tale marriage as they've led fans to believe. "Everyone thought Kelly and Brandon had the perfect marriage, but they definitely didn't," the insider stressed.

To recall, Clarkson and Blackstock first met at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006, while Blackstock was still married to his first wife, Melissa Ashworth. He and Clarkson reconnected after crossing paths at the Super Bowl in 2012, and were engaged just after a few months of dating. After tying the knot in Tennessee, the couple welcomed two children — daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander (Clarkson also became a stepmother to Blackstock's kids with Ashworth, son Seth and daughter Savannah). While it's unclear exactly what went wrong in their marriage, Clarkson has spoken out about their divorce, including the heartbreaking moment she knew it was over for her and Blackstock.

Appearing on the "Angie Martinez IRL" podcast in March 2023, Kelly Clarkson talked about the big red flag she noticed in her marriage to Brandon Blackstock that made her realize she needed to file for divorce. "The point that I finally was like 'Woo, I got to do something different for me,' I remember reading this book called 'Untamed,'" she said, referring to Glennon Doyle's best-selling memoir in which the latter talked about her own healing journey post-divorce. "I looked at my daughter, and I thought, would I want this marriage for my daughter? ... Like no, I don't. Then why would I want it for me?" However, Clarkson said it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment or overnight decision. "That was years [in the making]" she explained. "It just didn't work out."

Chatting with Doyle on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in 2020, Clarkson said there was a particular line in her book that helped open her eyes about the sad reality of her marriage. It reads, "A good mother is a model, not a martyr" (via ET). "It was that thing I needed to see to make a step in my life. And not just for me, but also for my current husband," Clarkson explained. "'I'm like, 'This isn't happiness, for both of us. I feel both of us deserve better, and neither one of us would want this for our children.' Reading that line so hit home for me." 

In her interview on "The Angie Martinez IRL" podcast, Kelly Clarkson also talked about the impact her divorce from husband Brandon Blackstock has had on their children. The "Breakaway" singer, who has primary custody of their kids, admitted that the split had also been hard on River Rose and Remington Alexander. "I literally ask my kids every night when we're snuggling, 'Are you happy? And if you're not, what could make you happier?'" said Clarkson. "Sometimes they'll say — especially the past two years, and it kills me and I want them to be honest — 'You know, I'm just really sad. I wish mommy and daddy were in the same house.'" While it pains her to hear that from her children, Clarkson — who herself grew up in a broken family — said she wants to be as honest with them as possible. "I think communicating with them and not treating them — not treating them like an adult, because they're not — but not treating them like a child," she said. "They're not small feelings. Those are huge feelings, and those are huge emotions."

Despite the rough divorce, Clarkson said that she has no regrets about ending her marriage to Blackstock. She also hasn't sworn off love, saying she would love to find someone again in the future. "I won't be getting married," she said. "[But] I would love to fall in love."