Kelly Clarkson has secured a sizable victory against her ex-husband/former manager.
According to legal documents obtained by People magazine, Brandon Blackstock has been accused of unlawfully procuring gigs for the talk show host and American Idol winner and overcharging her in booking fees. A California labor commissioner determined that Blackstock had overstepped his role as Clarkson’s manager by facilitating contracts with The Voice, the Billboard Music Awards, Wayfair, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Clarkson’s ex-husband was reportedly paid $1.98 million for her involvement with The Voice, $93.3 million for her BMA hosting contract, as well as $208,125 and $450,000 for her endorsement deals with Norwegian Cruise Line and Wayfair, respectively.
The official pointed out that, under California law, such lucrative deals should’ve been secured by a talent agency and not by an acting manager. Blackstock was, therefore, ordered to return the $2,641,374 he had received in the related commission fees.
“Under the Talent Agencies Act (TAA), a manager, like any person without a talent agency license, cannot procure or attempt to procure employment for artists,” read the lawsuit.
However, the commissioner rejected Clarkson’s efforts to retrieve the fees she had paid Blackstock in connection to her eponymous talk- how, as he worked with her talent agency to help finalize the deal.
According to People, Blackstock’s legal team plans to appeal the decision.
Clarkson married Blackstock in 2013 and filed for divorce about seven years later, citing irreconcilable differences. During that time, the two welcomed two children: River Rose, who is now 9, and Remington “Remy” Alexander, who is now 7. Their divorce wasn’t finalized until March of last year, when they finally reached a settlement. Under the agreement, Clarkson was required to pay Blackstock a lump sum of $1.3 million, as well as $45,000 a month in child support and $115,000 a month in spousal support. The latter payments will expire in January of next year.
Earlier this year, Clarkson released her 10th studio album Chemistry, which marked her first original LP since her and Blackstock split. She reflected on the project during a Today Show interview back in September, around the time she delivered the album's deluxe edition.
“It’s a hard record. It was hard to make, but it’s also not just [about] the bad of a relationship," she said. "I didn’t want it to be a divorce album; I wanted it to be a relationship album. And there’s good stuff on there, like ‘Favorite Kind of High.’ There’s good parts. It wasn’t all bad, so I wanted to celebrate that as a whole. For the most part, it’s sad. But that’s how I work through what’s going on with me: through writing.”
