The Truth About Kelly Clarkson's Ex, Brandon Blackstock

Former American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson surely thought that she'd found her happily-ever-after when she married Brandon Blackstock in 2013. The singer was enamored with him from the start, telling Ryan Seacrest on his radio show in 2012, "We were just in a room together, and then he came up and said he was from the same hometown as me and I was like, 'Oh, we're so getting married.' I was so that girl." Unfortunately for Clarkson, Blackstock was married to another woman at the time, but that didn't stop the singer from thinking about him. She admitted to People in 2013, "I'd go on dates and be like, 'Man, I didn't get that feeling I got that one time [with Brandon]." Eventually, the pair found love together and welcomed two children, River Rose and Remington Alexander, who made them a family of six along with Blackstock's children from his first marriage, Savannah and Seth. However, on June 11, 2020, Us Weekly confirmed that the star and Blackstock were getting a divorce after almost seven years of marriage. So who is the man that first captured Clarkson's heart before their relationship eventually fell apart? Clarkson and Blackstock run in the same entertainment industry circles, because he's a talent manager. Coincidentally, one of Blackstock's longtime clients is Blake Shelton, Clarkson's fellow judge on The Voice. While they're in the same industry, Clarkson and Blackstock may not have found each other if it wasn't for Brandon's father, Narvel Blackstock. While the "Because of You" performer and the man who was to become her husband first met at the ACM Awards in 2006, Narvel, who is also a talent agent and the founder of Starstruck Entertainment, re-introduced Clarkson and his son in 2012 when she was getting ready to perform the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. At that point, Brandon was reportedly divorced from his first wife. Way to play matchmaker, dad! While that's certainly a sweet detail, what's even cooler is the fact that Narvel was married to country music legend Reba McEntire for 26 years, which means that she was Brandon's step-mom and Kelly's stepmother-in-law. Sadly, Reba and Narvel's marriage ultimately ended in divorce, just like Kelly and Brandon's did. Clarkson is an extremely hardworking star, which explains why she found great success in her career and has won multiple Grammy Awards. However, a year before she tied the knot with Blackstock in 2013, the singer revealed to the Daily Mail that Blackstock might work even more "crazy-hard" than she does, which is saying something. Although busy schedules can put a strain on a marriage, and may have done so in Clarkson and Blackstock's case, for all we know, at the time, the star felt like their demanding careers helped the relationship. She told the outlet, "[He] doesn't get in a mood if I can't always call when I say I will. I've got high hopes." So did the couple's successful careers eventually overshadow their romance? That's not clear, but it's obvious Blackstock excels at being a talent manager. He even managed Clarkson at one point, although we're not sure if that's still the case. Clarkson told TODAY in 2018 about her ex's skills, "I wouldn't have hired Brandon to be my manager if I didn't see firsthand how great he is at that and how much he cares about Blake [Shelton]. And the way that [Blake's] career has blown up, I would have hired Brandon regardless." When Blackstock isn't inking deals backstage for his clients, he's cruising around the sky as an amateur pilot. He even helped Clarkson get over her fear of flying. She told People in 2013 about her first time in the sky with Blackstock. "The first 15 minutes I was like, 'I'm never doing this again!' I had a Vulcan death grip on this joystick-looking thing." But somehow, by the lesson's end, she told the magazine, she was sold. We guess the singer will have to buy her own plane now that she and Blackstock are kaput. Watch the video to learn The Truth About Kelly Clarkson's Ex, Brandon Blackstock! #KellyClarkson #BrandonBlackstock