World enews: Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband must pay her after overcharging her as manager

Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband and former manager Brandon Blackstock has been ordered to pay her back after reportedly overcharging her for gigs.

According to legal documents obtained by People, a California labour commissioner ruled that Blackstock unlawfully booked gigs for the “Stronger” singer for stints on The Voice, Norwegian Cruise Line, Wayfair, and as host of the Billboard Music Awards. With a few exceptions, only agents can lawfully book gigs for their clients.

The labour commissioner reportedly ordered Blackstock to fork over commissions he collected for booking Clarkson’s gigs, amounting to $2,641,374. The embattled manager will allegedly be appealing the order.

Blackstock managed the singer for 1 years via his family’s company, Starstruck Management Group, during which time she was represented by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Despite booking gigs for her, Blackstock wasn’t a legally certified talent agent, therefore, all bookings and commissions he made were deemed unlawful practice.

For The Voice alone, the manager earned $1.98m in commissions as opposed to the $93.30 he received for booking Clarkson to host the Billboard Music Awards.

According to Today, the ongoing legal battle between the former spouses began in September 2020 after Starstruck Management Group filed a lawsuit against the talk show host, claiming that she owed the company unpaid commissions for bookings for The Voice and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

In October of the same year, the “Breakaway” singer reportedly filed a petition with the California Labor Commission alleging that Blackstock committed multiple violations of the California labour code. The petition claimed that Blackstock demanded “unconscionable fees and compensation” against Clarkson’s best interests.

At the time, Bryan Freedman – a lawyer representing Starstruck Management Group – said to TMZ: “It is unfortunate that Kelly is again attempting to avoid paying commissions that are due and owing to Starstruck to try and achieve some perceived advantage in her ongoing custody and divorce proceedings.”

The former couple married in late 2013 and were together for seven years until Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020. The divorce was finalised two years later in March 2022.

The relationship and subsequent split reportedly influenced Clarkson’s latest studio album, Chemistry. In a conversation with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, the talk show host admitted: “I don’t know how people get through anything like that because I’m not going to say I did it gracefully. Behind closed doors by myself, it was not.”

“Just to be brutally honest, I did not handle it well,” she continued. “I had many sessions with just my friends [where] I couldn’t even speak. I was crying so hard, even before separating.”

The divorce was contentious as they battled over assets, most notably the Montana ranch they shared, which Clarkson ultimately won in the divorce settlement. Some other assets Clarkson won in the settlement include the family pets as well as multiple cars including a Ford Bronco, a Ford F-250, and a Porsche Cayenne.

According to the settlement, the “Since U Been Gone” singer had to pay Blackstock $1.3m and additional $45,000 a month in child support for their two children, daughter River Rose, nine, and son Remington Alexander, seven. He also reportedly receives $115,000 a month in spousal support, but those payments are set to end in January 2024.