Yesterday, we reported that a judge had ruled that the singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson must pay her estranged husband Brandon Blackstock $200,000 per month in spousal and child support.
While many saw this as bad news for Clarkson, she has since broken her silence through a source close to the family to say that these child support payments are “strictly temporary support until a final settlement is worked out.”
The insider told People Magazine that Clarkson is “pleased” by the custody ruling, and that her top priority is to protect her children.
“As Kelly has said, her first priority in all of this is to take care of the kids and all the hearts that are involved in this divorce,” the source explained. “It’s been a hard time for everyone, but Kelly’s pleased with the court’s ruling regarding custody.”
“Divorce is hard, and it gets tense for most couples going through it. But Kelly’s primary focus is on doing the best she can to protect the kids,” added the insider. “In this case, she had to fight for them since Brandon and his attorneys were making unreasonable requests.”
While Clarkson has said many times that her two young children are her “priority” at times, she also admitted back in February that co-parenting with Blackstock has been “tough.”
“You speak about co-parenting, and I’m doing that right now too,” Clarkson said on her talk show in a conversation with the reality television star Khloé Kardashian. “It’s tough … I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places, 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,” she later added at the time.
The $200,000 per month in spousal support is also reportedly less than half of what Blackstock requested. In December of last year, Blackstock filed papers in court demanding $436,000 a month, made up of $301,000 in spousal support and $135,000 for child support, as well as $2 million in attorney fees.
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June of last year after seven years of marriage and two children together. Their divorce proceedings have been ongoing since then.
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.