Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and former manager, Brandon Blackstock, reportedly doubted her “s*x appeal,” preventing her from joining ‘The Voice’ as a coach, as per The New York Post’s coverage of the Grammy winner’s court statements last year.
In November, Blackstock was instructed to pay Clarkson a substantial sum of $2,641,374 for managing deals outside his purview as her manager. His legal team is now contesting this ruling.
Recent court documents, as revealed by the Post, unveiled Clarkson’s assertion that Blackstock informed her that ‘The Voice’ sought a more “s*x symbol” type, using Rihanna as an example. Clarkson shared this during her testimony to the California labour commissioner, who subsequently ruled in her favour regarding the owed payments.
Before Clarkson entered into the NBC competition in 2018, Blackstock allegedly told her that the network desired a “diverse” panel and specifically needed a coach who was “Black.” Additionally, he purportedly claimed she was “too similar” to then-coach Blake Shelton.
When questioned about recalling the details of her conversation with Blackstock, Clarkson quipped to her lawyer, Ed McPherson, “Well, a wife doesn’t forget a time she gets told she’s not a s*x symbol, so that stays.”
According to documents from November, Clarkson contended that Blackstock secured contracts for ‘The Voice,’ ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ ‘Norwegian Cruise Line,’ ‘Wayfair,’ and the ‘Billboard Music Awards,’ receiving fees in return.
While Blackstock was deemed within bounds with ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ contract, the ruling stated that the other four deals should have been brokered by Clarkson’s Creative Artists Agency team. The Talent Agencies Act (TAA) holds that a manager, lacking a talent agency license, cannot procure employment for artists.
Blackstock is obligated to repay commissions for each of Clarkson’s deals, including $1,983,155.70 for The Voice, $208,125 for NCL, $450,000 for Wayfair, and $93.30 for her Billboard Music Awards hosting gig.
Clarkson and Blackstock, married for nearly seven years, finalized their divorce in 2022. They share two children, River Rose and Remington Alexander, while Blackstock has two children, Seth and Savannah, from a previous marriage