Update on Kelly Clarkson’s Divorce

Divorces among the stars continue to spark gossip throughout Hollywood, but recent developments in Kelly Clarkson’s divorce from Brandon Blackstock are turning heads.  The couple divorce papers were filed in June of 2020, after seven years of marriage.  Blackstock served as Clarkson’s talent manager during the marriage.  Recent reports note that he is opting for a post-divorce life out of the limelight by becoming a full-time rancher on the former couple’s ranch in Montana.

 

The couple have several pending claims, including child custody, but on Tuesday, July 27, a judge in Los Angeles ordered Clarkson to pay nearly $200,000 per month to Blackstock as support payments.  More specifically, the judge ordered Clarkson to pay Blackstock $150,000 in spousal support each month and $45,601 in child support each month.  Reports have noted that this shocking amount “is strictly temporary support until a final settlement is worked out.”  While Blackstock may be opting for a simpler post-divorce lifestyle, Clarkson is turning more heads than ever in Hollywood.  Not only did she purchase a stunning new mansion in Los Angeles after selling the couple’s former mansion in Tennessee, but she has also taken over daytime TV with The Kelly Clarkson Show.

 

The spousal support and child support amount may cause sticker shock for some, but it appears to be only temporary.  In North Carolina, court orders for both alimony and child support are modifiable.  This means, once the court enters an order for alimony and/or an order for child support, either party can move for modification of that order.  This is because the statute recognizes the fluidity of parties’ circumstances post-divorce, especially regarding finances.  Allowing for such orders to be modified takes into consideration changes that can occur down the road, such as remarriage, loss of a job, promotion, etc.  This is in stark contrast to the statutory language for claims for equitable distribution in North Carolina.  Orders for equitable distribution are not modifiable.  The courts in North Carolina provide for equitable distribution “without regard to alimony for either party or support of the children of both parties”  N.C.G.S. § 50-20(f).  However, recognizing that the conclusion of equitable distribution can place one party in a more favorable position than the other, North Carolina also provides that “[a]fter the determination of an equitable distribution, the court, upon request of either party, shall consider whether an order for alimony or child support should be modified or vacated pursuant to G.S. 50-16.9 or 50-13.7”  N.C.G.S. § 50-20(f).

 

Stay tuned for more updates!