It’s been a long road for Kelly Clarkson and husband Brandon Blackstock. The American Idol alum, 38, filed for divorce after nearly seven years of marriage on June 4 — but how did she meet the music manager?
The former flames actually have a lengthy history. The 43-year-old’s father, Narvel Blackstock, was once Kelly’s manager. Though the “Miss Independent” singer and Narvel’s son had originally first met in 2006 through him, the producer reintroduced the starlet to Brandon during Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.
“Brandon is my manager’s son. I’ve known him for six years, but he was married for most of that time,” the Texas native told Daily Mail after the sporting event. “Then, suddenly, there he was at the Super Bowl and he was single.” Kelly was attending the annual game as one of the guests of honor — she sang the National Anthem that year — and the pair hit it off at the stadium.
The “Stronger” singer revealed why she was glad she met her man “later in life” during a Facebook Live broadcast with her sister, Alyssa, in November 2018. “You’re already an evolved human,” Kelly raved. “You already got, kind of a good grasp of who you are [in your 30s].”
That being said, she also admitted their relationship was not without its flaws. “If I sat here and told you that everything was perfect, that’d be a damn lie in anybody’s relationship. But you have to work at it,” Kelly noted, adding the couple was “always” working on things within their longterm partnership.
According to court documents obtained by Life & Style, the Voice coach cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. “They’ve grown apart over the years and being in lockdown together heightened their problems,” an insider told Life & Style exclusively.
Kelly “hated having to self-isolate” with her husband and would “take out her frustration” on him frequently as the relationship deteriorated. “They haven’t been getting along for a while and clashed on so many levels,” the source added.
Kelly and Brandon married in October 2013 and have two children together, 6-year-old River Rose and 4-year-old Remington. The fellow Texas native also has two teenage children, Savannah and Seth, whom he shares with ex-wife Melissa Ashworth.