Kelly Clarkson Is Better Mom after $1.4M Debt Accusation by Ex-Dad-In-Law's Company & Troubles with Kids 'Killed' Her

• Singer Kelly Clarkson had to make a tough decision when she chose to divorce her husband, Brandon Blackstock.
• She took a long time to make the choice, recently revealing why it was such a tricky decision.
• Now, after a lengthy legal battle, Kelly is living life on her own and enjoying her time by herself.

Kelly Clarkson first rose to fame after winning a season of the hit competition "American Idol." Since then, she has been working on a whole slew of projects, from her continually increasing library of music releases to her talk show. Besides her professional career, the singer also looks after her family.

Although Kelly is a loving mother and was devoted to making her marriage work, things sadly didn't last between her and her ex-husband, music producer Brandon Blackstock. In 2020, the songstress filed for divorce, but she confessed that she tried to make her marriage work for a long time.

Now that her divorce is finally settled and the legal dispute has largely come to an end, Kelly is finally opening up about the experience. The singer is especially eager to share why it took her so long to get herself out of what she described as a "limiting marriage." Kelly confessed she should have walked away sooner.

The vocalist opened up about her marriage and divorce on Glennon Doyle's podcast, "We Can Do Hard Things," saying that a few things stopped her from leaving. While the singer didn't want her children to live through a divorce, she also confessed that she genuinely believed she could make things work if she tried hard enough.

Kelly also noted that she still loved her husband by the end of their marriage, which made going through with the divorce even harder. By then, she realized that she needed to prioritize not only herself but also set a good example for her little girl. She spoke about her own childhood and how that shaped her.

Kelly recalled seeing unhealthy patterns in her mother while she was in a dysfunctional relationship and realized that her own daughter was most likely in the same situation. So, Kelly had two options, both leading down a path that would ultimately be painful and leave lasting scars.

In the end, Kelly chose to leave her husband not only to look after herself and get out of a marriage that no longer made her happy but also to show her daughter that sometimes hard choices in life can have good consequences. Kelly also noted that she believes the divorce has made her a better mother by teaching her to respect her own boundaries.

Kelly Clarkson's Fight with Her Father-In-Law

Although Kelly found her way out of an unhappy marriage after struggling to make the decision, her divorce did not go smoothly. The singer has been working with Starstruck Management Group, headed by Narvel Blackstock, for the last 13 years. Through the company, Kelly has worked on "The Voice" and "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

Understandably, the legal battles with her father-in-law during her divorce made the pain of the entire ordeal considerably worse.

Kelly also married Narvel's son, Brandon, whom she has been with since 2013. However, in 2020, Narvel and Starstruck claimed that Kelly stopped paying them the agreed-upon 15% commission on all her earnings from her various projects. They opened a lawsuit claiming that Kelly only paid them $1.9 million throughout the year.

The company noted that Kelly owed them a further $1.4 million, and by the end of 2020, it would have been a whopping $5.4 million. According to Variety, it seemed that Kelly and Starstruck only had a verbal agreement in place at the time in lieu of a physical contract.

Soon after the initial lawsuit, Kelly decided to stand her ground and hit back at her father-in-law and his company. In response, Kelly claimed that the Starstruck Group violated The California Labor Code for "procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements" without a valid license.

Kelly proposed that the verbal contract she had with Starstruck and the money she still owed them should be declared void. The singer also claimed that Starstruck failed to mention that she had her own licensed talent agency at the time, which handled all her business.

Understandably, the legal battles with her father-in-law during her divorce made the pain of the entire ordeal considerably worse. Nonetheless, she stuck with it, and after two years, Kelly and her ex-husband finally came to an agreement.

Kelly's Current Life as a Mother

Kelly, who shares two children, River Rose Blackstock and Remington Alexander Blackstock, with her ex-husband, Brandon, has also opened up about life after her divorce. Although it was one of the most difficult choices she had ever made, she knows it was the right one. She commented on her relationship with her kids:

"I can say that after [the divorce], I'm a far better mother. Because I think when you're honest with yourself, you're able to be honest with others."

Although Kelly believes her divorce made her a better mother, she still doesn't have all the answers. The singer revealed that her kids are still hoping she and Brandon can make amends in the future and get back together. With no intention of marrying again, Kelly noted that the divorce is undoubtedly hard on her and her kids.

Despite the fact that her kids are unhappy with the divorce, Kelly shared that she reaches out to them every day, hoping to help them through this tough time. In her household, tuck-in time comes with a heart-to-heart about how the kids are doing.

The mother-of-two often encourages River and Remington to tell her how they feel, asking them if anything is bothering them at the moment and if there's anything that would make things better. As expected, the answer is always related to the divorce. Kelly opened up about River and Remington's emotional states:

"It kills me, and I want them to be honest, so I don't ever say, 'Oh God, don't tell me that' — but a lot of times it would be like, 'You know, I'm just really sad. I wish mommy and daddy were in the same house."

Although it pains her to hear her kids hope for something that Kelly knows will never happen and see them bear the pain of their parents' divorce, she's glad they want to be honest with her about how they feel. Kelly noted, "They're really honest about it. And I'm raising that kind of individual."

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