A Los Angeles judge recently decided that Kelly Clarkson, the Voice coach and host of The Kelly Clarkson Show, must pay her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, nearly $200,000 per month in spousal and child support.
This amount is significantly less than the sum Blackstock had initially requested.
The temporary court order was issued on Tuesday, July 27, and obtained by TMZ and People.
According to the order, Clarkson is required to pay $150,000 monthly in spousal support and an additional $45,601 in child support.
This totals $195,601 per month, which amounts to over $2.3 million annually.
The former couple has two children together: River Rose Blackstock, 7, and Remington Alexander Blackstock, 5.
Neither attorney representing Clarkson and Blackstock provided an immediate comment when contacted by E! News.
The news outlet has not obtained the court documents itself.
In November of last year, Clarkson was granted primary physical custody of their children. Subsequently, Blackstock sought $436,000 per month in spousal and child support.
TMZ reported that the recent court filing indicated Clarkson’s monthly income surpasses $1.5 million.
Furthermore, the court documents revealed that Blackstock, Reba McEntire’s former stepson, has chosen to leave his career as an entertainment manager in favor of becoming a full-time rancher.
This career change includes working on a ranch and sponsoring rodeos.
The court filing also stated, as quoted by TMZ, that Blackstock now spends minimal time managing his remaining client, country music star Blake Shelton.
Shelton is also a co-star on The Voice with Clarkson.
In addition to the support payments, the court order mandates that Clarkson contribute $1.25 million towards Blackstock’s attorney fees and other costs associated with their divorce proceedings.
The divorce has not yet been finalized, as reported by TMZ and People.
Earlier this month, Clarkson filed documents requesting to be declared legally single.
The filing, obtained by E! News, stated, “Irreconcilable differences have existed and continue to exist between [Brandon] and me, which have caused our marriage to irretrievably break down.”
“No counseling or reconciliation effort will be of any value at this time…[Brandon] and I both deserve the opportunity to build a new life.”
Clarkson initially filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020, after nearly seven years of marriage.
In a subsequent interview with NBC’s Sunday Today in September, she described her life as being “a little bit of a dumpster.”
She also expressed gratitude for her friends who had experienced divorce, stating, “I don’t know how people go through that without having some kind of outlet because it is the worst thing ever for everyone involved.”
During the season two premiere of The Kelly Clarkson Show in the same month, she opened up about the difficulty of her situation.
“What I’m dealing with is hard because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts. We have four kids,” she said, referencing Blackstock’s two older children from a previous marriage.
Clarkson continued, “And divorce is never easy. We’re both from divorced families, so we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts.”
The singer and her ex-husband are now working to move forward and care for their family as they navigate their pending divorce.
