Kelly Clarkson Must Pay Ex-Husband Nearly $200,000 a Month
Kelly Clarkson now has to pay her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock nearly $200,000 per month in spousal and child support.
Per People, a Los Angeles County judge handed down the order yesterday (July 27) that Clarkson is required to give Blackstock $150,000 per month in spousal support, as well as $45,601 per month in child support.
The arrangement means that 43-year-old Blackstock will receive a total of $195,601 from Clarkson each month, which averages about $2.4 million per year. The order also requires the singer to pay $1.25 million towards her estranged husband’s attorney fees and costs for their ongoing divorce.
A source told People that Blackstock had been aiming for more than double the decided upon amount in support, requesting that Clarkson pay him $436,000 per month ($301,000 in spousal support and $135,000 in child support).
Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020 after seven years of marriage.
Earlier this month, Clarkson appealed for a judge to officially sign off on her divorce, leaving other arrangements such as spousal and child support for a later date.
In a declaration to the court, Clarkson reasoned that she and Blackstock “both deserve the opportunity to build a new life.”
Back in November, an L.A. County judge granted Clarkson primary physical custody of their children River Rose, 6, and Remington Alexander, 4. A source close to the family said at the time that Clarkson is “pleased” by the custody ruling and that her priority is to protect her children.
“As Kelly has said, her first priority in all of this is to take care of the kids and all the hearts that are involved in this divorce,” a second source said. “It’s been a hard time for everyone, but Kelly’s pleased with the court’s ruling regarding custody.”
“Divorce is hard and it gets tense for most couples going through it. But Kelly’s primary focus is on doing the best she can to protect the kids,” the source added. “In this case, she had to fight for them since Brandon and his attorneys were making unreasonable requests.”
Throughout the divorce proceedings, Clarkson has reiterated her determination to focus on her kids. In February, the star admitted that co-parenting with her ex has been “tough” for her.
“You speak about co-parenting, and I’m doing that right now too,” she said on her talk show in a conversation with Khloé Kardashian. “It’s tough… I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places, and it’s like, we both agree on the main things, but it’s hard thing when you’re not together all the time, for me personally.”
“As long as you make sure it’s about the children and their best interests, then we’re both on board,” she later added.
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