Kelly Clarkson Says Her Divorce Wasn't an "Overnight" Decision

Nearly three years after filing for divorce, Kelly Clarkson is ready to open up about her split from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. During an episode of the Angie Martinez IRL podcast (one of the go-to outlets for celebrities to spill their guts), Clarkson got candid about divorce and how it has impacted her and her children, River Rose and Remington Alexander, whom she shares with Blackstock.

"It rips you apart whenever you fall in love with someone and it doesn't work," Clarkson told the host. "I think the thing about divorce — especially having it publicized, and people thinking they know the whole thing — the hardest part of that is, like, it wasn't an overnight decision."

Clarkson and Blackstock got engaged in 2012 and tied the knot in 2013. After nearly seven years of marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce in 2020.

"Anyone that's been divorced [knows]. That was years in trying to make — not make it work, because I never wanted to be part of something to 'make it work,'" she added. "I wanted to make it beautiful. I wanted to make it awesome. I wanted to make it everything it possibly could be, and sometimes that just doesn't happen."

At the end of the day, Clarkson's main priority seems to be their kids. The vocalist told Martinez that she's always checking in on them and how they're feeling. "I ask my kids every night when we're snuggling and I put them to bed, 'Are you happy? And if you're not, what could make you happier?'" she explained. "Especially the past two years ... it kills me [but] I want them to be honest, so I don't ever say, 'Oh god, don't tell me that,' but a lot of times it would be like, 'I'm just really sad. I wish Mommy and Daddy were in the same house.' They're really honest about it. I'm raising that kind of individual."