Kelly Clarkson’s Controversial Parenting, Life, and Her Climb to Fame

Kelly was born in Texas on April 24th, 1982. When she was just six years old, Clarkson’s parents split up, essentially separating the singer from her two siblings as she was the only one to stay with her mother.

Kelly’s father dropped out of her life at that point and their attempts to reconnect were, sadly, unsuccessful. Kelly explained that the distance is amicable, “It’s OK. That’s not a hateful situation. You go your own way.”

Believe it or not, Kelly’s first career choice was to work as a marine biologist. However, after seeing the movie Jaws, she decided to try singing instead.

Clarkson’s music career was encouraged by attendees at her high school talent show, alongside the fact that she was offered scholarships from three different music colleges. However, she declined all the offers. “I’d already written so much music and wanted to try a career on my own. You’re never too old to go to college [if it doesn’t work out].”

Kelly began working minimum wage jobs while trying to get a record deal. Eventually, Clarkson caught a break, as both Jive Records and Interscope Records expressed interest in her.

However, Kelly believed that both companies wanted her to fit in with the other pop stars they were representing at the time, so she decided to continue on her own. “They would have completely pigeonholed me as a bubblegum act. I was confident enough that something better would come along.”

Even someone as confident and ambitious as Kelly Clarkson has their breaking point — and the singer reached hers when her home burnt down and she became homeless in LA. Kelly was sleeping in her car, still getting rejected by record labels, had lost all her belongings, and spent all her money.

So, Clarkson returned home to Texas, admitting defeat. Of course, back in Hollywood, the very first season of American Idol was starting to kick off and producers were looking for talent.

After being told about the American Idol auditions by her friends, Kelly drove back to California to try out. We all know how that went, as Kelly Clarkson became the first-ever winner of the iconic reality show.

Clarkson has recently said, “That moment was the door that opened up so much access and opportunity, and creative partnerships that I will be grateful for all of my days. The family and friendships I have created over these 20 years in music and TV are priceless to me.”

Despite having turned down two record deals in the past, Kelly still found herself needing to compromise with the terms of her American Idol contract.

The paperwork stated that the winner of the show would have to star in a movie (From Justin to Kelly) but Clarkson didn’t feel that the film matched her budding image. Unfortunately, there was no way out and Kelly’s lawyers told her she had to do it.

If you ask us, we think Kelly Clarkson is absolutely gorgeous. However, no human flaw is acceptable in Hollywood. The singer found herself routinely being photoshopped, even without her permission.

Kelly has spoken about her appearance being altered by saying, “I’ve had the same thing done to me on album covers and magazine covers and I have no part of it. Like I’m totally fine with what I look like […] It’s like, why are you so offended by what I look like?”

Although it wasn’t always smooth sailing, Kelly finally managed to gain control over her career. “After winning American Idol, there was an arranged marriage that occurred that sometimes worked out and sometimes resulted in the hardest experiences of my life.”

Hollywood wanted Clarkson to lose weight, sing ballads, and fit in with the other stars of that time. However, with undeniable hits like “Miss Independent” and “Since U Been Gone”, Kelly made it clear that she could succeed by doing things her way.

In 2007, Kelly met talent manager Brandon Blackstock, who was married at the time, so neither one of them thought anything of the introduction. However, the pair met again in 2012, when Clarkson performed the national anthem at the Super Bowl.

This time, Brandon was single — as was Kelly. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all for the best. Although she’s been clear that she has no regrets, Clarkson has admitted that “I missed those red flags, I missed that, I ignored that on purpose.”

After dating for a little more than a year, Kelly and Brandon got married and started their family. The pair have two children together. Daughter River Rose, born in 2014 — and son Remington “Remy” Alexander, born in 2016.

Clarkson also became the stepmother to Blackstock’s two children, Savannah and Seth, from his previous marriage. The family seemed to be perfect, as Kelly gushed “We all live together and everything… it’s so different, but it’s perfect […] I actually really dig the mom thing.”

The Clarkson family’s perfect image began to crack when Kelly revealed that she spanks her children and recommends other parents do the same. “I’m not above a spanking, which people aren’t necessarily into. I don’t mean hitting her hard, I just mean a spanking. I warn her.”

“I’m like, ‘Hi, I’m going to spank you on your bottom if you don’t stop right now, this is ridiculous.’ Honestly, it’s really helped.” She added, “My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life and I feel fine about it.”

Of course, once Kelly revealed her parenting methods, the internet unleashed its opinion — and it was largely unflattering. One Twitter user wrote, “Kelly Clarkson spanking is disgusting, unacceptable and is a basically a form of physical violence and is abuse. You may have turned out ‘fine.'”

The commenter continued, “But continuing violent disciplinary fear tactics instead of teaching is frankly abuse apologist and triggering to abuse survivors.” While most people seemed to agree with this poster’s opinion, some sided with the American Idol winner.

There were those who offered a different point of view with comments like, “She is ABSOLUTELY right!! There’s nothing wrong with spanking a child to correct bad behavior. The problem is our society of snowflakes have changed the definition of spanking to equal beating.”

The commenter continued, “THEY ARE NOT THE SAME! I do not condone beating, but spanking is very different!” Regardless of what the public thought, Kelly showed no signs of changing her methods of discipline.

Over the years, Kelly has expanded her portfolio beyond singing and songwriting. She served as a judge on The Voice, wrote a children’s book called River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, and started her own talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2019.

The program has received mostly positive reviews and, as of 2023, is still going strong. Clarkson seems to have proven that she’s not just a one-trick pony.

Despite her career thriving, Kelly’s personal life was falling apart. She and Brandon began to have issues and filed for divorce due to “irreconcilable differences” in 2020. The split seemed to be amicable at the time, with Clarkson saying that she and Blackstock “both deserve the opportunity to build a new life.”

However, they had mixed their work with their marriage, with Brandon’s management company handling Kelly’s career. Predictably, things started to get ugly fast…

Once the divorce was final, Brandon sued Kelly for “unpaid commission” and she countersued for “fraudulent” business practices. There was also an issue with their home, which Clarkson had legal rights to but Blackstock refused to move out of, saying he’d be homeless if he left the ranch.

Ultimately, the courts allowed the talent manager to live on the property if he paid his ex-wife $81,000 for maintenance costs. Um, isn’t that enough for a down payment on a new house anyway?

Once the divorce was finalized, Kelly felt that she’d been given the raw end of the deal. The A-lister will pay her ex over $1.3 million, plus $115,000 in spousal support, and $45,601 in child support each month.

On the plus side, Clarkson got primary custody of River and Remy. They’ll still be in touch with their father, though, as the courts clarified that Brandon will FaceTime with his children each day “at a mutually agreed upon time.”

Never one to be shy to say how she feels, Kelly stated, ​​”I mean, it’s no secret. My life has been a little bit of a dumpster.” She went on to say, “You see yourself growing old with someone, and then life has a different path.”

Clarkson continued, “It’s so hard on everyone […] We all go through things. But at the same time, we have four kids total with each other. That’s a lot of hearts involved.”

After her split from Brandon, Kelly understandably wanted to change her name from Kelly Blackstock. She decided to utilize her middle name and is now legally Kelly Brianne. The talk show host says this new name “more fully reflects who I am.”

She also clarified for all her fans “I just kept my middle name for my personal life. I’m still Kelly Clarkson. I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point. I’m 20 years in!”

It’s pretty common for people to feel a need to re-vamp their lives after something dramatic happens, such as divorce. That’s exactly how Kelly felt. She’d given her name a glow-up and was newly single, but she still wanted to distance herself further from who she was with Brandon.

So, the singer produced a reality song competition — not unlike American Idol, which she won all those years ago — called American Song Contest.

Based on the Eurovision Song Contest, American Song Contest boasts contestants from each state. Like with American Idol, each singer hopes to be the next Kelly Clarkson — and similar to Eurovision, they have the added pressure of representing their state.

Kelly feels that just like the show that inspired it, this program can unite a divided people. “Everyone is being represented. It’s a really great concept in general but one that is very needed right now.”

It seems that Kelly’s dabbled in a bit of everything. She’s got the labels of singer, songwriter, producer, talk show host, reality show judge, and author all under her belt. Clarkson’s varied careers have resulted in her having a reported net worth of $45 million as of 2023.

However, the money wasn’t really the point for her. “I like being all over the map. I get really bored with monotony and I can’t stand to do the same thing.”

Kelly’s been open about her relationship with her weight and how the music industry always tried to get her to drop a few pounds. Now that she’s an A-list celebrity, though, she’s reached a point in her career in which she’s in charge.

Without the pressure of needing to “fit in” to Hollywood, or the fear of being given attention for her body rather than her talent, Clarkson shed a whopping 37 pounds!

When asked about the secret to her 37-pound weight loss, Kelly was happy to share. “I read this book called The Plant Paradox, and it might not work for everyone; it worked for me.”

The star continued, “It’s understanding what we do to food, like spraying and pesticides and genetically modified and hormones we pump in. It is also about how pharmaceuticals have ruined our body. I don’t take medicine unless I absolutely need it.” She also added that she no longer needs her medications now with this new lifestyle.

After taking a short break from music to pursue other endeavors, and focus on her personal life, Kelly will be releasing her 10th album in 2023. As always, Clarkson was honest with her fans and explained that she needed some time to get her emotions together, which is why she’s kept them waiting for new music.

“I just had to be over it, through it, all around it […] I know people want to ask me about the album and songs, and I just feel like I needed a minute.”

Kelly explained that the reason her upcoming album is so raw and personal to her is that it’s all about her marriage and divorce. “There is heartbreak and there is sadness in it, definitely, but there’s also the whole arc of a relationship.”

She also teased fans that these songs are the “most personal” she’s ever made. At the time of writing, the album name and release date have not yet been revealed.

Naturally, fans want to know if now-single Kelly has been dating anyone new. To their disappointment, Clarkson responded with a resounding “NO! My therapist, it’s funny, was literally like, ‘You should go on a date,’ and I’m like, No.'”

She continued, “I sound like such a cliché, but I’m really enjoying, like, me. I also, I don’t think marriage has to be for everyone. I think that you can exist in a relationship and it can be what you want it to be.”

Although her personal life may have its ups and downs (whose doesn’t?) Kelly’s professional life has never been better. The A-lister recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, solidifying her place in the music industry.

Kelly reflected, “I feel very lucky and fortunate because I know a lot of talented people […] and I just feel very fortunate that I get the chance. There are dreams you didn’t know you had and they end up happening and you feel super blessed.”

Upon looking back at how far she’s come, Kelly recently shared an emotional message with her fans, thanking them for the American Idol win that changed her life all those years ago.

She shared, “Thank you… I hope all of you have people in your lives that fill you with laughter, and hope, and happiness, and if you don’t feel like you have that, then keep searching because I promise you they’re looking for you too.”

Not long ago, Kelly Clarkson was just another talented girl in Texas. Now, she’s a cultural icon and one of the world’s biggest superstars.

Handling all of life’s twists and turns, and the trappings of instant fame and fortune, she’s still managed to stay grounded and remember how far she’s come. One of Kelly’s fans summed it up perfectly for all of us when she wrote, “Our American Idol forever. WE LOVE YOU!”