What Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Really Does For A Living
Most fans of Kelly Clarkson know about her claim to fame as the original winner of "American Idol" and her legendary singing career, but not many were aware of what her now ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, exactly did for a living.
The singer first crossed paths with Blackstock in 2006 while he was married to his first wife, Melissa Ashworth, with whom he had two children. Following his divorce, Clarkson and Blackstock officially began dating in February 2012, were engaged by the end of the year, and tied the knot in 2013. The couple welcomed their first child, River Rose, in 2014, followed by their son Remington Alexander in 2016.
Unfortunately, the "Since U Been Gone" singer and Blackstock called it quits back in 2020, with Clarkson blaming "irreconcilable differences" in the legal filing. Amidst the divorce, Blackstock underwent a complete career transformation, so what is he up to these days?
Brandon Blackstock is a music manager turned cowboy
Interestingly, the reason Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock crossed paths in the first place was due to his involvement in the music business, where he worked managing country artists. It turns out that Brandon's father, Narvel Blackstock, was actually Clarkson's manager, which is how the two were first introduced, the singer explained during an interview with the Daily Mail. Brandon used to represent Blake Shelton and even appeared in the "I'll Name the Dogs" singer's 2010 TV concert special as his manager behind the scenes. What's more, the former manager was once in charge of the country band Rascal Flatts. Then, when his wife began hosting her very own talk show in 2019, Brandon served as an executive producer for the beginning years of "The Kelly Clarkson Show."
But much of this changed after the pandemic hit, and the couple decided to divorce in 2020. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Brandon completely shifted his career from the entertainment industry to become a "full-time rancher" after the couple split. In 2021, Shelton's team confirmed that Brandon had minimal involvement in the country star's affairs. After a tumultuous battle over their former Montana home, Brandon purchased a $1.8 million home in the Treasure State. He owns and operates the Valley View Rodeo — formerly known as V Bar V Cattle Co. pre-divorce— which hosts a rodeo series in Bozeman, Montana.
Kelly Clarkson is still battling another member of the Blackstock family in court
Singer Kelly Clarkson has unfortunately learned that things can get complicated when you mix business and family. Although Clarkson finalized her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2022, the TV personality is in a separate legal fight with her former father-in-law and manager, Narvel Blackstock. See, Narvel filed a lawsuit against the singer in September 2020 — just after the divorce filing — for breach of contract and unpaid funds, alleging a debt of $1.4 million to her former management company and an estimated future loss of over $5 million. Clarkson then hit back with a countersuit claiming the company wasn't properly licensed, which breaks the California Labor Code. Nearly three years of litigation back and forth later, the California Labor Commission — the governmental body hearing the case — explained to Us Weekly that a decision on the lawsuit is expected by Fall 2023.
Of course, Clarkson has channeled her complicated emotions surrounding her divorce into her music, including her new album, "Chemistry." But one performance of the break-up song "abcdefu" by Gayle on a March episode of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" was definitely meant to address her father-in-law as well. Clarkson specifically changed the original lyrics of the song from "mom" to "dad," singing, "Forget you and your dad and the fact that you got half / And my broken heart, turn that s*** into art."