Oof — we didn’t know this split would get so contentious.
Kelly Clarkson’s divorce from Brandon Blackstock came as a surprise, but at first we thought it might be an amicable split, especially since Kelly kept mum on the details for the sake of their children. Maybe we should have expected things to heat up after her father-in-law sued the singer for unpaid management fees.
Related: Kelly Claims Brandon’s Management Company Violated Labor Laws
Now that the court rulings are starting to roll in, however, it’s clear that tension has begun to escalate between the former couple. The first sign was when the Breakaway artist was awarded primary custody of their two children, River Rose and Remington Alexander.
In court documents obtained by People, a judge ruled that “the interest in providing stability and continuity for the minor children weighs in favor of Petitioner having primary custody.” A source told the outlet:
“As Kelly has said, her first priority in all of this is to take care of the kids and all the hearts that are involved in this divorce. It’s been a hard time for everyone, but Kelly’s pleased with the court’s ruling regarding custody.”
The insider shared that Blackstock, who established a primary residence in Montana, wanted the kids to go “back and forth” or stay in Montana despite the fact that L.A. has “undeniably been their home base.”
(PS, does Blackstock settling in Montana mean he won’t have an active role in The Kelly Clarkson Show anymore? What about his other famous clients like Blake Shelton?)
The source continued:
“Divorce is hard and it gets tense for most couples going through it. But Kelly’s primary focus is on doing the best she can to protect the kids. In this case, she had to fight for them since Brandon and his attorneys were making unreasonable requests.”
Innerestingly, the court documents also noted that “the level of conflict between the parents has increased. The parties have a difficult time co-parenting due to issues of trust between them.”
Likely adding fire to those flames is the 43-year-old’s hefty request for nearly $450k in spousal support. Another People source said:
“Brandon’s been equally unreasonable in his requests for child and spousal support, as well as attorney fees. Kelly’s offered to pay for all the kids’ expenses, but Brandon seems to think he is entitled to and needs $301K in spousal support and $135K in child support per month. … Additionally, he’s already asked for $2M for attorney fees when he’s the one driving up the cost of the divorce with seven attorneys just representing him alone.”
Related: Kelly Hints At Reason For Her Divorce In Meaningful Monologue
Elsewhere in the ruling, the court ironed out upcoming holiday schedules for the children and determined that Blackstock would FaceTime them every day “at a mutually agreed upon time.” It also included an agreement that the exes “shall not speak in a derogatory manner about the other parent to the minor children. The custodial parent shall not allow the minor children to be in the presence of any third party who speaks about the other parent in a derogatory manner.”
Hopefully despite the “unreasonable” nature of Blackstock’s request, this whole thing can still be settled as amicably as possible, especially for the sake of their kids.
[Image via FayesVision/WENN]
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