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Music superstar Kelly Clarkson announced earlier this year that she and her now estranged husband Brandon Blackstock would be getting divorced. Now, that divorce is becoming more complicated and nasty.
In recent weeks, Clarkson has hinted that the reason for the divorce was because the couple just wasn’t good for each other anymore. She said in a segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show that she knew she needed to leave the marriage for her children after reading Untamed by Glennon Doyle.
Clarkson said the book opened her eyes to make changes, adding, “I realized, this isn’t happiness and we both deserve better. Neither one of us would want this for our children. Reading that line so hit home for me, not selfishly, but for the family. It’s like, I don’t want this for everyone in this scenario right now.”
Clarkson and Blackstock Have Had Trouble Co-Parenting
According to court documents obtained by E! Online, Clarkson and Blackstock have been at odds when it comes to co-parenting their children.
“The level of conflict between the parents has increased,” the document reportedly reads. “The parties have a difficult time co-parenting due to issues of trust between them.”
An Insider told E! News that Blackstock wanted to have the children fly back and forth between Los Angeles and Montana, but a judge shot that idea down because it makes more sense for the children to continue going to school in Los Angeles.
“He had originally wanted the kids to fly back and forth, which was never going to work,” one insider told the outlet. “That’s what they were fighting about.”
Blackstock Requested More Than $400,000 in Spousal Support
Now, Blackstock is hitting back in court, asking for spousal support of $436,000 a month, according to People. Blackstock seeks $436,000 a month in spousal and child support, according to People.
“Brandon’s been equally unreasonable in his requests for child and spousal support, as well as attorney fees,” the source told the outlet. “Kelly’s offered to pay for all the kids’ expenses, but Brandon seems to think he is entitled to and needs $301,000 in spousal support and $135,000 a month in child support.”
All that support would add up to more than $5 million a year. Also according to the source, Blackstock asked for $2 million in attorney fees.
“Additionally, he’s already asked for $2 million for attorney fees when he’s the one driving up the cost of the divorce with seven attorneys just representing him alone,” the source added.
Insiders told E! Online that this contributed to the fact that the two are no longer seeing eye-to-eye, but other sources say that Clarkson is still supporting Blackstock, according to OK! Magazine, as Clarkson has agreed to not talk badly about her estranged husband amid the divorce.
“The truth is Brandon checked out of that marriage long before Kelly, and she filed the divorce papers so they could both go out and find happiness. So for him to turn around and ask for $5 million a year plus another $2 million for his lawyers was a real slap in the face,” one person close to Clarkson reportedly told the outlet. “It is just so sh***y. And he is doing it now because he knows Kelly wants River and Remington to have a relationship with [half-siblings] Savannah and Seth.”
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