Kelly Clarkson Has Been Awarded Couple’s $10 Million Ranch Property In Divorce

Dec 10, 2021

Kelly Clarkson is America's sweetheart, and while she puts on a positive face for fans, this year has not been an easy one for her. 

In one of the sadder moments in celebrity news recently, Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce from her husband of seven years, Brandon Blackstock, on June 4, 2020. Married since October 2013, Clarkson and Blackstock share two children, River and Remington, together. Despite positive remarks about their relationship in various interviews recently, it appears their isolation together in Montana may have exacerbated the dissolution of their marriage. A talent manager by profession, Blackstock is also the stepson of Reba McEntire. According to Us Weekly, Clarkson cited "irreconcilable differences" on the paperwork she filed, while the classification on the case was "dissolution with minor children."

Later in November of 2020, the custody battle between the two parents was fought. Months after the official filing, the court made further decisions in relation to the couple's split, with Clarkson receiving primary custody of their two children, daughter River, 6, and son Remington, 4.

In October of 2021, the decision on who was to keep the couple's Montana ranch was settled. According to CNN, the ongoing battle over the assets between marital property finally came to the decision to award Kelly Clarkson ownership of the Montana ranch valued at $10 million. To prove Clarkson's entitlement to the ranch property, the court cited a prenuptial agreement that both Clarkson and Blackstock had signed, which rejected Blackstock's claim that the Montana ranch was marital property. 

Read on to learn more about the divorce case and how Kelly Clarkson dealt with the process.

Entertainment Tonight confirmed the initial sad news, having stated that Clarkson was the one to file for divorce in Los Angeles on June 4, citing irreconcilable differences. Court documents show that the separation date is listed as TBD, while Clarkson is asking for "joint legal and physical custody of River and Remington," as reported by ET.

They go on to state that Clarkson has "asked the court to terminate the ability to award spousal support to Blackstock. She is asking [that] the court enforces their premarital agreement, and that both parties cover their own attorney's fees. She's also asking that her last name legally be restored to Clarkson, after taking Blackstock's last name. Property and asset division are unknown at this time and will be determined at a later date."

Regarding who was to get custody of the children, Clarkson did win primary custody, with Blackstock being allowed to visit his children. In documents obtained by Us Weekly, the paperwork from November 2020 stated:

"The Court finds that under the circumstances present in this case, the interest in providing stability and continuity for the minor children weighs in favor of Petitioner having primary custody."

Clarkson and Blackstock both have joint physical and legal custody of their two children, but Clarkson has primary physical custody in LA. Blackstock, who is a Texas native, is expected to reside in Montana. Us Weekly further reported that the paperwork stated:

"The level of conflict between the parents has increased. The parties have a difficult time coparenting due to issues of trust between them."

The ruling meant that Blackstock would be allowed to visit his children at Clarkson's home in Los Angeles. He was expected to spend Thanksgiving with them and will be joining them for the Christmas period as well, from December 19-25 until 2 pm. The monthly schedule will include Blackstock having the kids in LA on the first and fifth weekends of the month, while on the third weekend, they'll be able to visit him in Montana. Additionally, Blackstock will FaceTime his children every day "at a mutually agreed upon time."

USA Today reported that the document also includes a clause that neither Clarkson nor Blackstock are allowed to "speak in a derogatory manner" about the other to their children. They also found that both of them will be listed as emergency contacts on all of the kids' school forms.

Blackstock has two other children, Savannah and Seth, with his former wife, Melissa Ashworth. Not long before they split, Clarkson revealed in an interview with Gordon Ramsay on her show that she'd wanted more kids while her husband was content with the number they had. Clarkson had said, as reported by Us Weekly:

"I so want another child, and my husband is like, 'No! We have four!'...You get baby fever when you see them and you're like, 'Oh, I miss the chubby little legs and the little face.'"

In an interview with Redbook magazine in 2016, Clarkson spoke of how "hard" being a working mom can be. She explained:

"There are days where I cry and I'm like, 'I don't know if I can handle all this!' or get it all done. But at the end of the day, 99 percent of the time, it's awesome and it's worth it, and that's what I say to myself."

What do you think of Kelly winning the Montana ranch in her divorce? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to other Kelly Clarkson fans you know!