‘The Voice’: Kelly Clarkson’s Ex-Husband, Brandon Blackstock, Implied She Wasn’t Sexy Enough to Coach
NBC’s The Voice has featured an array of celebrity judges through the years, and Kelly Clarkson was one of them. From season 14 to season 21, Clarkson sat in the coach’s chair and helped the singers on her team make their way through the competition. Unfortunately, her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, seemingly didn’t think she had the looks to be a coach. Here’s what he said about her not being sexy enough for the job.
Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, implied she wasn’t sexy enough to coach ‘The Voice’
The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson was married to her former manager, Brandon Blackstock, from 2013 to 2021. Clarkson filed for divorce in 2020, and they settled the divorce entirely in 2022. Clarkson and Blackstock have two kids together, and they went through a brutal custody battle.
The New York Post reported that in 2023, Clarkson told a California labor commissioner that her then-husband told her she didn’t have the right amount of sex appeal to become a coach on The Voice, as The Voice wanted coaches who looked like Rihanna. When her lawyer asked her how she recalled the conversation at the time, she said, “Well, a wife doesn’t forget a time she gets told she’s not a sex symbol, so that stays.”
Not only that, but Blackstock allegedly told Clarkson that The Voice “had to have someone that was black. … They had to have a diverse thing,” so she and Blake Shelton wouldn’t be able to coach on the same season. Blackstock said she and Shelton “were too similar,” according to court documents.
Ultimately, Blackstock was ordered to pay Clarkson $2.6 million for unlawfully procuring deals that her talent agents should’ve handled.
‘The Voice’ Season 24 coach Reba McEntire weighed in on the couple’s divorce
The Voice Season 24 didn’t feature Kelly Clarkson as a coach — but it did feature Reba McEntire. McEntire became a coach for the first time, giving country singers someone to root for in Blake Shelton’s absence.
McEntire knows Brandon Blackstock well, as she was married to his father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015. Regarding Clarkson’s divore, McEntire wisely chose not to take sides.
“Brandon’s my stepson, Kelly’s my good friend, and I’m pulling for both of them,” McEntire told Extra. “I hope they’re happy and healthy and pull through this. I pray that everybody gives them the encouragement that they can because they need it right now, both of them do. I love them both with all my heart.”
Will Kelly Clarkson return to the show in the future?
Kelly Clarkson hasn’t coached on The Voice in a few seasons, but fans certainly miss seeing her on the show. Is there any chance she could return?
It seems there’s not much chance for Clarkson to rejoin the cast as a coach. The Voice films in Los Angeles, and Clarkson moved to New York City after her divorce. She’s unlikely to commit to filming a show on the opposite coast.
“I’ll be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision,” Clarkson told USA Today about her move. “I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in LA. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can’t really do a show from there quite yet. So I was like, ‘The only other option would probably be New York.'”
As for The Voice, she has mixed feelings about coaching. “Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” she added. “I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of handling, and also what you should not handle. That was me saying ‘bye’ to The Voice and having this big move. I love that family, but I was like, ‘I’m struggling. I can’t smile anymore. I don’t feel like smiling.'”
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