Kelly Clarkson and her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock divorced in early 2022, but there were still issues about their relationship that needed to be resolved in court.
Currently, Blackstock is required by a labor commissioner to reimburse Clarkson for more than $2 million, which he is said to have overcharged for while serving as her manager.
Legal documents acquired by TMZ state that Blackstock illegally booked contracts for Clarkson and overcharged a commission for the 13 years that he assisted in managing her through his family’s business, Starstruck Management Group. With a few notable exceptions, agents only—not managers—may secure assignments for their clients.
At the time, Clarkson was represented by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Blackstock was never a legally certified talent agency throughout their time working with Clarkson. Blackstock has been ordered to reimburse $2,641,374 for his involvement in securing Clarkson’s roles with Wayfair, Norwegian Cruise Line, the Billboard Music Awards, and The Voice. Blackstock declared he would be contesting the decision. According to Today, Blackstock’s company sued singer Kelly Clarkson in September 2020, alleging that she owed money for commissions she had received from The Voice and The Kelly Clarkson Show. This marked the beginning of the continuing controversy over Blackstock’s management of Clarkson.
That October, Clarkson filed a petition with the California Labor Commission alleging that Blackstock had violated several labor laws in California, including by acting “in conflict of interest with (her) best interests” and demanding “unconscionable fees and compensation.” “Unfortunately, Kelly is again attempting to avoid paying commissions that are due and owing to Starstruck to try and achieve some perceived advantage in her ongoing custody and divorce proceedings,” a representative for Starstruck Management Group, Bryan Freedman, according to TMZ. After getting hitched in late 2013, Blackstock and Clarkson remained together until June 2020, when the “Since U Been Gone” singer filed for divorce. It took over two years for the break to be formalized.
They had two children together during their marriage: a son named Remington Alexander and a girl named River Rose. Since the divorce, Clarkson has made sporadic remarks on her marriage to her ex-husband and discussed how it affected her most recent album, Chemistry.
