Kelly Clarkson just scored a major financial win against ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. Amid the Grammy-winning singer’s ongoing legal battle with her former spouse and manager, a California labor commissioner recently ruled that Blackstock overstepped his professional role when securing various deals for her, overcharging Clarkson for commissions totaling $2,641,374, according to legal documents obtained by TMZ.
Blackstock was ruled to have gone beyond the bounds of his position by booking gigs and finalizing contracts for the musician withย The Voice, Norwegian Cruise Line, Wayfair, and as the host of the Billboard Music Awards, according to legal documents. In the court docs, Blackstock is revealed to have been paid $1.98 million in commissions for Clarkson’s role on The Voice, while his commission for her Billboard Music Awards role earned him just $93.30.
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As per the commissioner’s decision, only agents are permitted to lawfully secure such roles for talent, with few exceptions. Blackstock has thus been ordered to hand over the $2.6 million in commissions to his ex-wife. Blackstock has declared his intention to appeal the ruling. The commissioner also reportedly rejected Clarkson’s claim that she was entitled to the money Blackstock received for securing The Kelly Clarkson Show, and he will retain the earnings from that deal.
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in 2020 after seven years of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in March 2022. The Voice coach was awarded the couple’s highly-contested Montana ranch in their settlement, but was ordered to pay her ex $1.3 million and contribute $45,000 per month in child support for their two children. Blackstock was also granted $115,000 per month in spousal support, which was set to conclude in January 2024.
Clarkson has been open about the end of her marriage, releasing the LP chemistry that was inspired by her divorce in June 2023. Asked about the title of her new musical endeavor, the singer-songwriter told Nancy O’Dell on TalkShopLive that her ex-husband was the first time she had ever connected with someone like that. But that same chemistry had lows to match the highs. “It can go very poorly, chemistry. You can have amazing chemistry with somebody who you really shouldn’t be with, you know,” she said. “Not that one person is good or bad, whatever. It’s just not a healthy environment. …I just feel like chemistry is a beautiful and amazing thing, but it’s powerful for the good and the bad. Makes you do stupid stuff.”
