Kelly Clarkson settles divorce with Brandon Blackstock as she agrees to pay him $45K A MONTH in child support and one-time payment of $1.32M after two years of negotiations
Three-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson and ex Brandon Blackstock have finally settled their divorce case after two years of bitter negotiation.
The 39-year-old singer, who announced her split from talent manager, 45, after nearly seven years of marriage in June 2020, will be paying her former spouse $45,601 per month in child support for their two kids River, seven, and Remington, five, according to TMZ.
Additionally, she agreed to a one-time payment of $1,326,161 and $115,000 per month in spousal support until January 31, 2024, according to The Blast.
Clarkson will also be shelling out a ‘reimbursement’ payment of $50,000 for private air travel for the children as they continue to fly private until they’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to The Blast.
The pair will share joint custody of their little ones, but reside in Los Angeles with their mom, and visit their father in Montana one weekend a month.
Blackstock will remain living at their Montana ranch, and pay Clarkson $12,500 a month in rent until he moves out in June, according to TMZ.
He will also keep their ‘farm cattle, livestock, stock dogs, and horses,’ a Ford F-350, a Ford F-250, an ATV, snowmobiles, and other hunting items as well as a ‘golf simulator,’ reports The Blast.
Meanwhile, she’ll keep their ‘family pets,’ a baby grand piano, ‘all guns acquired prior and during the marriage,’ plus a Can-Am 4-wheeler, a bush hog, and other items connected to hunting.
The Since U Been Gone hitmaker will also stay in possession of one of their pick-up trucks, a Ford Bronco, a Ford F-250, and a Porsche Cayenne.
In January, a source told Us Weekly that she wouldn’t ‘even entertain the idea’ of agreeing to a settlement.
‘She is devoting 100 percent of any free time she has preparing for the trial,’ the insider said. ‘When not filming her talk show, she is hunkered down with [attorney] Laura Wasser.
Wasser is one of the most high-profile divorce attorneys serving a variety of entertainment industry clients, and she’s believed to have served as the inspiration for Laura Dern’s aggressive divorce attorney in Oscar-winning dramedy Marriage Story.
Although Clarkson and Blackstock came to an agreement on custody of their two children — River, seven, and Remington, five — the former couple are expected to go through considerably more wrangling when it comes to divvying up their finances.
‘She will not even entertain the idea of settling with Brandon,’ the source claimed. ‘He will not get one penny from her that isn’t ordered by the judge. It’s going to be nasty.’
A sticking point for the two appears to be their ranch in Montana, which Clarkson wants to sell off, while Blackstock is hoping to add it to his portfolio.
Blackstock, who is the son of Clarkson’s former manager, has said he plans to step away from the entertainment industry to focus on ranching, which would make keeping the ranch essential to him.
Back in August, a judge ruled that he could maintain the ranch as long as he was able to keep up the payments and take care of upkeep, which costs $81,000 per month, according to Us Weekly.
Clarkson later tried to evict her ex-husband from the property, though she was unsuccessful. ‘He has been living in it and said he doesn’t have the financial means to afford to purchase a residence of his own at this time, citing the unresolved financial aspect of their divorce,’ a source told the publication at the time.
Earlier in the week, People reported that Clarkson had agreed to give her ex a five-percent share in the ranch.
His slice of the ranch, which is valued at an impressive $17,750,000, is worth $908,800.
The property appears to have caused tension in the final days of the couple’s marriage. ‘Being in quarantine at the ranch together heightened their problems to the point of no return,’ a source told Us Weekly.
Clarkson and Blackstock began their relationship in 2012, and they tied the knot the following year in Tennessee.
It wasn’t just a romantic partnership, but also a business arrangement, as Blackstock served as his wife’s manager while they were married.
The American Idol star filed for divorced on grounds of irreconcilable differences in June 2020. In November of that year, the singer was awarded primary custody of their daughter and son.
Although they’re still hammering out the financial details, the couple have technically been declared legally single and divorced as of August 2021, meaning that they’re now free to remarry if they choose.
Source: Daily Mail
