Kelly Clarkson‘s divorce battle has been ongoing for over a year at this point. The singer and Voice coach filed for divorce from her husband, Brandon Blackstock, in June 2020.
Since then, Kelly has been granted primary physical custody of the couple’s two children, River Rose and Remington Alexander.
The reason why the divorce proceedings have been ongoing for so long is because Kelly and Brandon still need to sort out their finances and assets. In July, a Los Angeles County judge ruled that Kelly has to pay her estranged husband nearly $200,000 per month in two forms of support. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, she has been ordered to pay him $150,000 each month in spousal support and $45,601 in child support.
While the dispute over their finances continues, Kelly is taking steps to officially end her marriage. In early July 2021, Us Weekly obtained documents indicating Kelly has requested to be declared legally single.
“...Clarkson, 39, and her lawyer filed a motion for a separate trial to terminate her marital status,” states Us Weekly in its report. “If granted, Clarkson would legally be considered single while the divorce proceedings continue.”
Now, Kelly has submitted another request to further separate herself from her estranged husband. This time, she has asked to change her name.
Like many celebrities, Kelly continued to use her maiden name, “Clarkson,” professionally even after she married Brandon in 2013. But Kelly has been using her married name, “Blackstock,” in her personal life.
The Blast obtained court documents showing Kelly has requested legal approval to resume using her maiden name in her personal life:
As The Blast states, Kelly “...is asking for a default judgment in her ongoing case, which will officially make her divorced. In the filing, Kelly is also asking for her famous name to be restored and legally change it going forward.”
The exact language in the document reads, “Petitioner requests restoration of the former name as set forth in the proposed judgment.”
In the midst of her ongoing divorce battle, Kelly is currently gearing up for a new season of The Voice. She will coach alongside Blake Shelton, Ariana Grande, and John Legend.
Kelly will also keep busy as the host of her own talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. She has opened up about her divorce many times on the show, and never shies away from sharing how she’s feeling.
Tune in to the clip below to hear Kelly talk about how her divorce has affected her. Our hearts go out to her and her children during this tough time.