Protective mama! Kelly Clarkson publicly addressed her divorce from estranged husband Brandon Blackstock during the premiere of The Kelly Clarkson show on Monday, September 21, and noted that the former couple’s four children are their top priority. 

“2020 has brought a lot of change also to my personal life. Definitely didn’t see anything coming that came,” the Texas native, 38, explained to her virtual audience. “What I’m dealing with is hard because it involves more than just my heart. It involves a lot of little hearts. We have four kids. And divorce is never easy. And we’re both from divorced families so we know the best thing here is to protect our children and their little hearts.”

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock Kids
AFF-USA/Shutterstock

The “Because of You” singer filed for divorce from the music producer, 43, in June 2020 after seven years of marriage. They share 6-year-old daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander, 4. Brandon also has teenage kids Savannah and Seth from his previous marriage to Melissa Ashworth.

Both Kelly and Brandon are seeking joint legal and physical custody of their two children, according to court documents obtained by Life & Style on July 21. The “Broken & Beautiful” singer cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason behind their split, as per court documents filed on June 4. In the petition, the Grammy winner also requested for the court to deny any request for spousal support and enforce their prenuptial agreement. 

Amid this tumultuous time in her personal life, an insider exclusively told Life & Style Kelly is “keeping herself busy” amid divorce proceedings. “Kelly loves being busy! This is everything she has ever wanted,” added the insider. 

The “Stronger” artist acknowledged during The Kelly Clarkson Show premiere that while she “won’t speak about it too much,” she’ll be channeling the emotions about her divorce into new music. “You definitely will hear it musically probably, that’s how I became a songwriter,” she explained. “Music has always been my outlet to help me get through difficult times and this year, I’ve been listening to a lot of music and I’ve also been writing a lot of music as well.”

It looks like Kelly is looking toward the future!