Kelly Clarkson was dealt a double-whammy when her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away recently — not only was the songbird not mentioned in his obituary, but it publicly revealed his romantic relationship with her former assistant for the first time.
Blackstock, 48, died on Aug. 7 after a three-year battle with cancer. Kelly, 43, who shared two children, River, 11, and Remy, 9, with the talent manager, filed for divorce in 2020. It was finalized in 2022.
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His obituary omitted any reference to the talk-show host, but did praise Brittney Marie Jones, who used to work for Kelly, calling her his “beautiful and loving partner in life and business.”
Until his death, Brandon and Brittney had been living together at his home in Butte, Mont.
Their relationship was just “the icing on the cake of the disappointment” Kelly felt over the dissolution of their marriage, an insider says. “Brandon chose to move on with someone Kelly knew and trusted, and that just adds to the person he ended up being to her. He was a great father, but wasn’t a great husband.”
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Despite the crushing betrayal of her ex moving on with someone she trusted, the insider says Kelly “doesn’t blame” her former assistant.
The American Idol winner’s number-one objective was protecting her children, and “Kelly knew that Brittney wasn’t going to be a problem with her and her kids — there was never a misunderstanding between them,” the source says.
Kelly also didn’t hold it against Brittney, despite the legal wranglings between her and Brandon.
She sued her ex, accusing him of making unauthorized business deals on her behalf while acting as her talent manager. She claimed he owed her millions in commissions for deals that should have been handled by her agents at Creative Artists Agency, not her manager, per People.
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The California Labor Commissioner agreed and in 2023 ordered Blackstock to pay her $2.6 million for “unlawfully procured” business deals.
According to the terms of their divorce settlement, the Grammy winner paid her ex a $1.3 million lump sum plus $45,601 a month for child support.
