What is Kelly Clarkson’s net worth? Who is Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband?
Introduction
Kelly Clarkson is an American singer and television personality who rocketed to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002.
Currently, Clarkson has a daytime talk show, serves as a coach on The Voice, and has published several children’s books.
She was born on April 24, 1982, in Fort Worth, Texas, as Kelly Brianne Clarkson.
Kelly Clarkson family
Her father, Stephen Michael Clarkson, worked as an engineer.
Her mother, Jeanne, taught first grade English. When Kelly was six the marriage ended and the house emptied out fast: big brother Jason went to live with their father and big sister Alyssa moved in with an aunt, per a 2007 biography on Fox News.
Kelly stayed with her mom.
“We didn’t grow up together at all, because of the divorce,” Clarkson said in a SiriusXM interview that HELLO! magazine revisited in 2023.
“My sister grew up with my aunt and uncle in North Carolina and my brother grew up with my dad in California and I grew up in Texas with my mom.”
Reunion came at a wedding.
“The year before I actually auditioned for Idol, my brother got married in Alaska and we all met up there and it was kind of then that we kept in contact,” she said in the same conversation.
Why Alaska? Because Jason got married there, and an Alaska ceremony as the spot where three grown siblings finally met properly, years after a Texas divorce scattered them over three states and three time zones (four, if Alaska counts).
They stayed close after that.
By 2009 all of them lived on one big piece of land, which, yeah, is a lot of Clarksons in one spot, and she mapped it out on SiriusXM:
“My land kind of slopes: I live up on the top part, my brother lives at the way bottom and my sister lives on the side.” NBC Insider dated that quote to 2009.
Jason even appears in her 2006 video for Walk Away.
There are two younger half-brothers as well, from her father’s second marriage.
Mom
Money was thin in that house, by Clarkson’s account.
“When [my parents] divorced, I ended up with my mom, and she put herself through college,” she told People in 2022.
Little Kelly went to some of those classes with her, because there was no childcare.
The lesson she pulled out of it fits in one line: “She taught me you can do hard things, to never quit.”
On her talk show in September 2019, with Jeanne next to her on stage, she told the audience:
“My mom is a teacher, and I always brag on that.”
Jeanne later remarried, and People counts five more children who came into the family through that marriage.
The dad she wrote songs about
Stephen Clarkson is the subject of two of her biggest ballads.
Because of You, from the 2004 album Breakaway, deals with what the divorce did to her, and Piece by Piece, title track of her 2015 album, sets her father next to Brandon Blackstock as a dad who stayed.
In 2017, on the Scandinavian talk show Skavlan, she was close to calm about him. “If you don’t grow up with it, it’s hard to miss something you never had,” she said, and a moment later: “I have no hatefulness, no anger, no nothing about it.”
February 2019 brought the twist. Asked by Forbes why Piece by Piece choked her up onstage, she answered:
“You know he passed away months ago. So that’s why.”
American Idol
Her vocal prowess was first recognized when she was a seventh grader.
In 2000, Kelly graduated from Burleson High School.
In 2002, Clarkson won the first season of American Idol.
August 05, 2002 – @Getty
Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell served as judges.
Two weeks after her American Idol win, Kelly released her first single, A Moment like This.
In 2003, she released her debut album, Thankful. The album entered the US Billboard 200 chart at #1.
In 2004, Clarkson dropped her second album titled Breakaway. It spawned several big hits, including:
- Walk Away
- Behind These Hazel Eyes
- Breakaway
- Since U Been Gone
In 2005, she went on her first tour, The Breakaway Tour. In the same year, Billboard ranked her as the Top Female Artist.
Kelly Clarkson attends NBC’s “The Voice” Season 14 on April 30, 2018 – @Getty
In 2012, Kelly served as a mentor and judge on the ABC television show Duets.
In early 2013, she performed at the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.
In 2016, the Fort Worth-born inked a new deal with Atlantic Records.
In September 2019, Clarkson launched her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
February 04, 2024 in Los Angeles – @Getty
“Having my own talk show where I get to do all of these things is pretty much a dream job,” she said.
In 2022, the “Already Gone” artist received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In June 2022, Clarkson won two Daytime Emmys.
In 2023, her album Chemistry was released through Atlantic Records.
In September 2024, she released the single You For Christmas.
Husband
In 2013, Kelly Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock at Blackberry Farms in Tennessee.
Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson attend Warner Music Group Grammy Celebration 2012 – @Getty
Brandon Blackstock served as her manager through Starstruck Entertainment with his father. He is also the founder of a rodeo production in Montana called Valley View Rodeo.
He was previously married to Melissa Ashworth, with whom he has two children.
They began dating in late 2011 and announced their engagement in December 2012.
At the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 7, 2013 – @Getty
“I’M ENGAGED,” she tweeted on December 16, 2012. “Happiest night of my life last night!”
In June 2014, the couple welcomed their first child together, daughter River.
On April 12, 2016, their son, Remington “Remy” Alexander, was born.
In 2016, Clarkson revealed she had gotten her tubes tied.
“I am super thankful I’m never going to be pregnant again,” the American singer explained.
In June 2020, Kelly filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
Kelly and Brandon’s divorce was finalized in 2022.
She was granted primary physical custody of the children, Remington and River.
Clarkson and Blackstock had a prenuptial agreement, which was upheld at their divorce. According to the prenup, all assets that were hers prior to the marriage remain hers.
Brandon Blackstock and wife Kelly Clarkson pose backstage at the hit musical “Finding Neverland” on Broadway at The Lunt Fontanne Theater on July 15, 2015 – @Getty
However, she had to pay $115,000 per month as spousal support until January 2024. In addition, Clarkson has to pay $45,601 each month as child support.
She also paid $1.18 million in legal fees.
In 2023, Blackstock was ordered to pay $2.6 million to Clarkson after he unlawfully procured deals that should’ve been handled by a talent agent. His legal team has already filed to appeal the ruling.
That appeal never reached a courtroom.
The labor commissioner put the figure at $2,641,374 in November 2023 and found that Blackstock had done procurement (the hunt for paid jobs and the deal talks around them, a task California reserves for licensed talent agents) on four deals.
Clarkson asked a Los Angeles court to dismiss the case on May 21, 2024, and Starstruck followed on May 22.
Terms stayed confidential and no final payment figure has been made public.
Who is Kelly Clarkson dating now?
At the time of writing, Kelly Clarkson is single. “I’m very noncommittal at the moment,” she revealed in 2024.
Height
Kelly Clarkson is 5′ 2″ (1.57 m) tall.
Kelly Clarkson – Net Worth
So, how much is Kelly Clarkson worth? Her prize for winning American Idol was $1 million and a recording contract with RCA. Therefore, Kelly Clarkson has an estimated net worth of $60 million.
Clarkson has released ten studio albums, including When Christmas Comes Around…, Meaning of Life, Wrapped in Red, and All I Ever Wanted.
She has sold over 54 million singles and 28 million albums.
Kelly Clarkson attends the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel – @Getty
“Because my career went from zero to 100, there was no ‘growing,'” the singer revealed in an interview. “I learnt well under pressure.”
On YouTube, Clarkson has over 3.4 billion views, about $10 million in revenue.
Her Meaning of Life Tour grossed $17.5 million.
As a coach for The Voice,” she is paid $14 million for a season.
She is also the host of her Emmy-winning daytime show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. The Kelly Clarkson Show will conclude in Fall 2026 after seven seasons.
During her divorce proceedings, it was revealed that she makes $1.9 million per month from The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice.
Clarkson has published children’s books.
Real estate
Kelly Clarkson attends “VH1 Divas” 2012 at The Shrine Auditorium on December 16, 2012 in Los Angeles – @Getty
In 2007, Kelly paid $1.5 million for a three-bedroom home in Nashville, located in the Belle Meade neighborhood. In 2011, the “Stronger” singer sold the property for $1.2 million.
In 2018, Clarkson bought an eight-bedroom, nine-bathroom, and two half-bathroom mansion in Encino for $8.5 million. Three years later, the singer sold it for $8.24 million.
In July 2021, Kelly Clarkson purchased a house in Toluca Lake that sits on just over an acre for $5.4 million.
Paydays and payouts by year
| Year | Payday, deal or payout | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mansfield ranch listed | $1.495 million |
| 2018 | Encino farmhouse bought | $8.5 million |
| 2021 | Hendersonville lakefront sold | $6.3 million |
| 2021 | Toluca Lake house bought | $5.445 million |
| 2021 | Encino farmhouse sold | $8.24 million |
| 2021 | “The Voice” and talk show income | $1.9 million a month |
| 2022 | Lump sum to Blackstock | $1,326,161 |
| 2022 | Blackstock’s Warren Peak stake | $908,800 |
| 2022 to 2024 | Spousal support she paid | $115,000 a month |
| 2023 | Commissions ordered back to her | $2,641,374 |
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I am Bulgarea Candin Stefan, and I founded FamousPeopleToday.com in 2018. I’m using my bachelor’s degree in economics and 9 years of experience in blogging to guide millions of people through the incredibly complex world of celebrity net worths.