Kelly Clarkson's messy divorce from Brandon Blackstock has been making headlines ever since she announced their shocking split in 2020.
Following the release of her latest album, Chemistry, fans have been given an insight into their relationship as Kelly addresses both the good and bad moments from their almost seven-year marriage – and she hasn't been afraid to publicly call out her ex over their previous legal battles.
The former couple's divorce was finalized two years after their split in 2022, and the staggering sum Kelly has been paying Brandon ever since will make your eyes water.
Kelly Clarkson's divorce settlement
Before Kelly even began paying Brandon a monthly sum, she reportedly forked out over $1.3 million in a one-off payment to him. The 'Since You've Been Gone' singer has primary custody of their two children, River Rose, nine, and Remington, seven, but she still must pay Brandon $45,601 a month in child support.
Kelly was also ordered to pay Brandon $150,000 a month in spousal support, although this was later lowered to $115,000 a month, which she must pay until January 31, 2024.
Aside from money, Brandon was also allowed to keep the former couple's "farm cattle, livestock, stock dogs, and horses," as well as several cars and snowmobiles, a golf simulator, and expensive watches from Patek Philippe. Kelly, meanwhile, reportedly retained ownership of the family pets, multiple cars, and a flight simulator.
She also regained ownership of her Montana ranch, which is valued at $17.8 million, in June 2022, although according to court documents, Brandon was given a five percent share of the property.
What has Kelly Clarkson said about her divorce settlement?
Kelly appeared to call out Brandon's dependency on her finances in her song 'Red Flag Collector,' in which she sings: "Sure, you can have the towels. You can take my money. Drag my name 'round town. I don't mind, I changed it anyway."
She also made some telling lyric changes during her cover of Gayle's song 'abcdefu', which she performed on her show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, in March, and again during her recent Las Vegas residency.
She sang: "abcde [expletive] you, and your dad, and the fact that you got half, and my broken heart, turn that [expletive] into art. [Expletive] you, and your view from the valley I bought too, everybody but your dogs, you can all [expletive] off."
The change was an obvious departure from the original words, which are usually: "[Expletive] you and your mom and your sister and your job and your broke-ass car and that [expletive] you call art."
What has Kelly Clarkson said about her divorce?
Kelly opened up about her divorce in October 2020, telling Entertainment Tonight: "I feel like if you're hiding something, there must be something wrong with it. And there's nothing wrong with anything – life just kind of happens, and it takes turns that you don't expect and are sad."
The singer also appears to be referencing her failed relationship in her new record, which has been dubbed her "divorce album". Speaking of its title, Chemistry, Kelly previously explained: "I was trying to find a word, it might be one of the songs on the album [spoiler alert: it is], but I was trying to find a word that really described the whole thing.
"I didn't want everybody to think I was just coming out with some 'I'm angry,' 'I'm sad' – just one or two emotions. This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship."
She added: "That whole relationship shouldn't be brought down to one thing. There's the good, the bad, and the ugly kind of thing going on. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you. So that's why I named it Chemistry, I thought it was the perfect title to describe the entire album."
Why is Kelly Clarkson leaving LA?
Kelly is relocating to New York City after admitting she needs a "fresh start" for herself and her children. "My family is East Coast. They're North Carolina-based. It was one of those things where I just had to," she told TalkShopLive.
“Also, there were a lot of personal things going on, too. I feel like our family — me and my kids — really needed a fresh start and I just could not get it here [in Los Angeles]," she continued. "There was just hurdle after hurdle with things."
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