Bombshell: Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Overcharged Singer by Millions as Her Manager
Brandon Blackstock has to fork over a boatload of cash to his ex-wife Kelly Clarkson.
A California labor commissioner recently ruled the producer and executive overcharged the country superstar by millions during his time representing Clarkson as her manager, legal documents obtained by a news publication revealed.
The decision comes more than three year after she initially accused Blackstock of operating illegally within his role in a petition filed in October 2020, four months after filing for divorce.
According to the new ruling, Blackstock acted out of line as a manager when he booked Clarkson gigs on The Voice and as the host of the Billboard Music Awards, as well as when he signed her deals with Norwegian Cruise Line and Wayfair.
Legally, aside from a few exceptions, only agents are allowed to lock in roles for their client — not managers.
By unlawfully booking the "Stronger" singer these roles, Blackstock was able to collect a whopping amount of money in commissions and must now pay the earnings, totaling $2,641,374 to his ex-wife.
The amount in commissions per gigs varied, with the talent manager earning $1.98 million from her role as a judge on The Voice, while only bringing in $93.30 for Clarkson hosting the Billboard Music Awards, which she did for three years in a row in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Blackstock is planning to appeal the labor commission's decision, per the news outlet, though it wasn't a complete victory on Clarkson's end.
The 41-year-old had also requested a return of the money her ex-husband received when signing a deal for her hit talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, though Blackstock, 46, was allowed to keep it.
At the time she filed the petition, Clarkson asked the court for the agreement she had with her former spouse and his father, Narvel Blackstock, during her 13 years at his company Starstruck Entertainment be "declared void and unenforceable."
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She accused her ex-husband of demanding "unconscionable fees and compensation" and acting "in conflict of interest with (her) best interests," in addition to allegedly violating other parts of California labor code.
The ongoing legal battle is yet another one of the vicious court cases that have occurred between the two ever since Clarkson filed for divorce more than three years ago. The split wasn't officially settled until March 2022, though problems continue to keep the former couple legally intertwined.
Clarkson and Blackstock co-parent two children — River, 9, and Remington, 7 — whom they have joint custody of.
Per terms of their agreement, the blonde beauty had to pay Blackstock $1.3 million in addition to $45,000 a month in child support and $115,000 a month in spousal support through January 31, 2024.
TMZ obtained legal documents about the labor commissioner's ruling.