Mike Coppola / Staff; Taylor Hill / Contributor
Kelly Clarkson’s Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Said She Wasn’t ‘Sexy’ Enough to Coach ‘The Voice’
Kelly Clarkson claimed her ex-husband of nearly seven years, Brandon Blackstock, told her she wasn’t “sexy” enough to achieve her dream of being a coach on The Voice.
Brandon, 47, reportedly insisted to the American Idol alum, 41, that NBC executives were “looking for a more sex symbol type,” citing “someone sexy” like Rihanna as an example, according to court documents reviewed by The Post.
Kelly spoke of his derogatory comments to a California labor commissioner, who ordered her ex-husband and former manager to repay her $2.6 million in November after overcharging her for commissions. Brandon was unlawfully obtaining deals that should have been handled by her talent agents, the court ruled. He has since filed to appeal the decision.
In response to her lawyer’s question about how the “Since U Been Gone” singer can remember the details of her conversations with her former husband, Kelly reportedly replied, “Well, a wife doesn’t forget a time she gets told she’s not a sex symbol, so that stays.”
The three-time Grammy winner also recalled Brandon telling her the competition show “had to have someone that was black. … They had to have a diverse thing,” adding that he believed his wife and then-coach Blake Shelton “were too similar.”
Kelly would go on to become a coach on season 14 of The Voice in 2018. In June 2020, she filed for divorce from Brandon after nearly seven years of marriage. Their divorce was settled in March 2022 after a years-long custody battle over the couple’s two young children, and their sprawling shared ranch in Montana.
The American Idol winner was eventually awarded primary custody of their daughter, River Rose, 9, and son, Remington “Remy” Alexander, 7. She also got to keep the ranch.
“I’m taking my power back. That sounds very therapy, but that’s because I love therapy, and I think it’s important to have those tools to navigate your life and relationships,” Kelly told People during a Wednesday, January 3, interview.
Speaking about using her music as an outlet in the wake of her bitter divorce, Kelly said, “I cannot express how appreciative I feel for having that kind of healthy outlet. Because the level of depression and things that come with divorce or grieving is extraordinarily hard. You feel alone, and it’s just a blessing to be able to have that outlet for those emotions that are overwhelming.”
