Finally over. Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock have finalized their divorce nearly two years after their split.
The “Breakaway” singer, 39, and the music manager, 45, agreed to a settlement on Tuesday, March 8, Us Weekly confirms.
Per the terms of the agreement, Clarkson will have primary custody of the former couple’s two kids River, 7, and Remington, 5, while their father will have them one weekend a month. If Blackstock moves away from Montana — he is currently living on the property of the ranch he once shared with Clarkson — then the custody arrangement will be reevaluated.
The From Justin to Kelly star will keep the Montana ranch, which has been a point of contention throughout the divorce proceedings. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ruled that Blackstock can only stay there until June 1. He must also pay his ex $12,500 per month in rent.
As part of the settlement, Clarkson will pay Blackstock a one-time amount of $1.3 million in addition to $45,600 per month in child support. The “Because of You” songstress will also pay her ex-husband $115,000 per month in spousal support until 2024.
The Voice coach and Blackstock began dating in 2011 and announced their engagement in December 2012. Less than one year later, the pair married on October 20, 2013. They welcomed daughter River Rose in June 2014, and son Remington followed in April 2016. Clarkson is also the stepmother of Blackstock’s 19-year-old daughter, Savannah, and 15-year-old son, Seth, from his marriage to Melissa Ashworth.
In 2017, the American Idol winner opened up about her marriage to Blackstock and how they keep their relationship exciting with four children in the house.
“Any time we’re in a discussion about sex with a bunch of couples, Brandon and I stay pretty quiet. To keep it family appropriate, let’s say we’re just a lot more active than other couples. I’m a person who loves change. He loves spontaneity,” the three-time Grammy winner told Redbook at the time. “Having a set time or place [to have sex] would be boring to us. When I met Brandon, I wasn’t looking for a friend. … I was looking for a lover. I had never found someone I was truly passionate about, who I wanted to stay in bed with all day. The fact that I did, well, I was going to latch on and take advantage of that.”
Less than two months before the split, the talent manager shared a video via Instagram with his kids. “Happy birthday baby. I love you more than you’ll ever know,” he said in the video shared in April 2020.
The talk show host has spent much of the past two years quarantining with her family in Montana during the coronavirus pandemic. “In all seriousness, it is funny with the kids and it is hard doing the teaching and all those kinds of things, but it can be depressing, this kind of isolation,” she said during an April 2020 appearance on the Today show. “It can be a little dark for everyone and there’s a lot of uncertainty.”
