Kelly Clarkson Spent Summer With Ex-Husband After Bitter Divorce

The singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson has spent much of the last few years engaged in a bitter divorce battle from her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. That’s why it came as a shock when she revealed on Tuesday morning that she spent the summer with him and their two children in Montana!

‘It Was Nice’

“It’s obviously been a rough couple years so it was really important to me to, like, shut down for a minute,” Clarkson said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I literally four-wheeled in the mountains, and I have a lot of water on my property so my sister, my nephew and I, and a couple friends just spent the whole summer in the mountains, just hanging out in nature.”

“The kids were with me and with their dad,” she added. “It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation so we were both in Montana so, it was the first time I think my kids felt more centered as well.”

Clarkson made sure to add that she’s aware how lucky she is to have the means to take the summer off to be with her family. 

Related: Reba McEntire Weighs In On Kelly Clarkson’s Messy Divorce From Her Stepson

Clarkson’s Divorce Battle

Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June of 2020 after seven years of marriage, and their divorce was not finalized until nearly two years later, in March of this year. The divorce got bitter and contentious at times, with the pair specifically battling it out over the Montana ranch that Clarkson mentioned in today’s interview.

In October of 2021, a judge ruled that this ranch, where Blackstock had been living, officially belonged to Clarkson. However, the exes eventually reached an agreement about this ranch back in January, with Clarkson giving Blackstock a 5.12 percent ownership of the property. The ranch is valued at $17,750,000, but court documents show Blackstock’s “5.12% ownership interest in the Warren Peak Ranch is $908,800.

Related: Kelly Clarkson’s Nasty Divorce Battle Escalates – She’s Ready To Fight

Earlier in the summer, Clarkson opened up about how hard it is to create new music after her bitter divorce.

“It’s been the hardest thing to navigate. I’ve never had this difficult of a project,” she said back in June. “I’m a human and I’m going through something huge — obviously everybody knows, like, a big, huge divorce [I] went through.”

“I’m just navigating what I’m comfortable with releasing,” Clarkson added. “It’s coming — I just gotta get my crap together. I just gotta figure out what I’m gonna release.”

Clarkson And Blackstock’s Children

Clarkson and Blackstock are parents to daughter River, 8, and son Remington, 6. In her interview this morning, Clarkson admitted that she can’t believe how fast the two of them are growing.  

“She’s like up here, and she’s 8,” Clarkson said of River’s height. “She’s so tall. And Remy is, god, he’s such a little man. I love him so much.”

Now that summer is almost over, Clarkson is preparing to send her two children back to school. 

“This is the first year they’re going to the same school because he’s now in kindergarten,” Clarkson said. “He’s very excited about the big playground.”

Clarkson had previously talked about how hard it is to navigate divorce with young children being involved. 

“What I’m dealing with is hard because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts,” Clarkson said in 2020, according to E! Online. “…Divorce is never easy. And we’re both from divorced families so we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts.”

While it’s surprising to see that Clarkson spent her summer with her ex even after their difficult divorce, we’re glad to see that they appear to be co-parenting well. Here’s hoping that they can continue to put their bitter split behind them, and keep getting along for the sake of their kids!