Kelly Clarkson Makes Surprising Name Change

In the years since winning “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson seemed to fulfill all her dreams. For instance, Kelly won one award after another for popular songs like “Stronger.” And beyond her music, Clarkson became a TV star through “The Voice” and her own talk show. In addition to her professional success, Kelly found the perfect man, tying the knot with Brandon Blackstock and later welcoming two children into their lives. 

But then came the divorce bombshell. And since then, Clarkson literally has had to get “stronger” in surviving the split. As a result, Kelly now believes that she’s changed in many ways. And she decided to reflect those changes by filing for a new name. Get the details below.

Kelly Clarkson Wants New Name To Reflect New Life

In the wake of filing for divorce from Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson feels ready for a fresh start. And to show it, the 39-year-old songstress filed to change her name, reported Us Weekly.  Kelly even chose a symbolic day to file to legally acquire her new name: Valentine’s Day!

As a result of the changes since her divorce, Clarkson wrote in the legal documents that she desired to shift to her first and middle names, Kelly Brianne. That way, she added, “My new name more fully reflects who I am.” And she’ll find out if she can become known by that new name in a hearing for her petition on March 28. The singer has already gone through the process of becoming legally single, returning to that status in September 2021.

Ever since Kelly filed for divorce from Blackstock, 45, in June 2020, Clarkson has gradually gone through the steps to dissolve their seven-year marriage. Calling her reason “irreconcilable differences,” Kelly had to devote some time to working on various issues. For instance, ownership of their Montana ranch became an issue. But in January, Clarkson finally worked it out to give her estranged spouse a 5.12 percent share of the property, equivalent to $908,800.

Kelly Clarkson Focuses On Her Children

Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson share a daughter, River, 7, and son Remington, 5. Thus far, the talk show host has received a court order to pay $150,000 monthly in spousal support and an extra $45,601 monthly for their children’s benefit. But rather than focus on the financials aspects, Kelly focuses on their children.

“We have a lot of help as far as therapists or child psychologists because we want to do it right,” shared Clarkson. “Everyone’s sad and it’s OK to be sad.” Currently, Kelly and her estranged husband share joint legal and physical custody of the kids. But she admits co-parenting presents challenges.

“It’s tough. … I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places,” she pointed out. “And it’s like, we both agree on the main things. But it’s a hard thing when you’re not together all the time, for me personally. As long as you make sure it’s about the children and their best interests, then we’re both on board.”

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