Kelly Clarkson to pay ex $158K a month

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock reached an agreement in their long and drawn out divorce.

TMZ reported that the duo settled on a custody and support arrangement.

According to the outlet, the American Idol alum will be getting the majority of the assets they shared during their marriage, The Sun reports.

Her estranged husband, meanwhile, will be getting a great deal of financial support.

LA Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon signed off on the agreement.

Kelly will get to keep custody of the two children she and Brandon had, while he will have them one weekend a month at his Montana home.

That arrangement is subject to change in the event that he moves from Montana to another state.

Kelly was given the Montana ranch she and Brandon purchase, though her ex will continue living there until June 1.

He will, however, have to pay rent totalling $12,500 ($A17,000) per month.
 

Pretty penny

Brandon will be awarded $115,000 ($A158,000) monthly from his former wife.

The support agreement is only temporary, however.

That will end in January 2024, per TMZ’s reporting.

In addition to that hefty, albeit temporary, payout, Brandon will be getting $45,600 ($A63,000) a month in child support even though he is not the custodial parent.

The amount was decided on in an effort to ensure the children will continue to live comfortably in his home while they are there.

According to TMZ, Kelly’s legal council – Laura Wasser – can go back to the court for a readjustment if Brandon moves and his overhead expenses change.

Additionally, the judge ordered Kelly to pay Brandon a $1.3 million ($A1.8m) lump sum as part of the settlement.
 

Divorce drama

Kelly and Brandon’s split was long and contentious.

The award-winning singer’s ex challenged their prenup after the split.

The judge in the trial found the prenup to be valid, however, which was a big win for Kelly according to TMZ.

According to the outlet, she makes around $20 million ($A27m) per year.

Her ex has no claim to any of that cash, the outlet reported.

Kelly and Brandon were both deemed legally single in September 2021.

The songstress also ditched her husband’s last name.

She is known professionally known as Kelly Brianne – Brianne being her middle name.

Kelly filed for divorce in Los Angeles on June 4, 2020, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason.

Since then, the proceedings between them have been heated.

Clarkson met her music manager turned ex-husband backstage at a rehearsal for the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2006.

The pair got engaged in December 2012 and married a year later at a luxury estate in Tennessee.
 

Kelly admitted she “didn’t see” her divorce coming on her show in 2020.

The musician opened up about her split during the September 21, 2020 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“2020 has been a dumpster fire,” the 39-year-old told her audience as she welcomed them to the show.

“2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life. Definitely didn’t see anything coming that came.

“But what I’m dealing with is hard because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts.

“You know, we have four kids and 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.”

She also sobbed as she clicked through a newscast montage of 2020 events.

Kelly also recently got candid about her divorce on Sunday Today with Willie Geist, claiming that her life was a “dumpster.”

The Miss Independent singer said: “I mean, it’s no secret. My life has been a little bit of a dumpster.

“Personally, it’s been a little hard the last couple months.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.