Kelly Clarkson ‘Feels Confident’ About Returning to Work After Ex Brandon Blackstock’s Death

On Aug. 23, Kelly Clarkson was photographed arriving at LAX airport with her sister Alyssa and kids, River, 11, and Remington, 9. Dressed in black sweats, a matching cowboy hat and dark sunglasses, the makeup-free singer appeared somber during her first public outing since the Aug. 7 death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, 48, after a long battle with melanoma.

It’s been an excruciating few weeks for the star. Despite her acrimonious split from Brandon in 2020 following seven years of marriage, she had pulled back on work commitments as his health declined for the sake of her kids. On Aug. 6, she ultimately postponed her Las Vegas residency. “My children’s father has been ill,” she wrote on Instagram. “And at this moment I need to be fully present for them.”

Now, a source tells Star the 43-year-old “Stronger” singer is slowly picking up the pieces and doing her best to create a sense of normality for River and Remington as she adjusts to life as a single mom. Season 7 of her hit chat fest The Kelly Clarkson Show will premiere in the fall (production was set to begin in early September) and she began shooting season 29 of The Voice during the week of Aug. 20 after missing an earlier taping. “Kelly is looking forward to going back to work, if only to take her mind off the tragedy,” says the source. “Having a sense of routine and being back in a busy environment will do her good, or so she hopes.”

Complicated History

Her world has been turned upside down for months. She missed 10 tapings of Kelly between March 3 and April 1, leading fans and media to speculate about her absence. “It wasn’t easy,” says the source of balancing career and home life. “She had to step up to take extra care of the kids and still find a way to hold herself together and somehow cope with her jam-packed work schedule.”

It was especially challenging given her history with Brandon. Their contentious divorce and custody agreement was finalized in 2022, with Kelly being forced to fork over a onetime payment of $1.3 million to her ex as well as $115,000 per month in spousal support until January 2024 and $45,000 in monthly child support until their children turn 18. It wasn’t just the divorce. In 2023, a court ruled that Brandon had to pay Kelly $2.6 million for illegally procuring business deals for her while he was her manager. As an added blow, Brandon’s obituary revealed that he had been dating Kelly’s former assistant Brittney Marie Jones, who worked for her until 2018 and then Kelly and Brandon until 2020.

Despite all that, as Star previously reported, Kelly had been willing to walk away from her beloved show so she could be a source of strength for her kids. “Ultimately this was a man who treated her incredibly badly, so it would have been bittersweet to throw in the towel on her job in order to take care of him,” says the source. “Kelly felt sorry for Brandon and it wasn’t in question that she would do right by him.” (The singer did get her digs in, famously switching up the lyrics to “abcdefu” during a Kellyoke segment to take a swipe at her ex and exploring the “arc of their relationship” on her 2023 album, Chemistry, per People.)

In the end, she was able to put aside her mixed feelings in order to do what was best for her children. “Kelly and Brandon’s split was toxic, but it didn’t stop Kelly from putting her resentment aside,” says the source. “He was the father to her kids and they adored him, and she knew it was important for her to step up and show a Christian attitude. Everyone in Kelly’s world would agree she’s been absolutely magnificent these past few months,” adds the source. “The strength and courage she’s shown is nothing short of heroic.”

Work Mode

For now, it’s back to business. Her four-part NBC music series Songs and Stories With Kelly Clarkson debuted on Aug. 19 while her Vegas residency is scheduled to resume next summer. She’s determined to make things work between caring for her kids full-time and growing her career. “Kelly will see how it all goes for a while then decide on what will work in the long term,” says the source. “She feels confident that this is something she can manage, but only time will tell.”