Kelly Clarkson is starting a fresh new chapter in her life — and she’ll be doing it under a different name.
The “Piece by Piece” singer, 39, filed a petition Wednesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court to legally change her name to Kelly Brianne. In court documents obtained by NBC, Clarkson, whose middle name is Brianne, said she had the “desire” to change her name for personal reasons.
“My new name more fully reflects who I am,” she explained.
Clarkson’s request for a name change comes more than a year and a half after she filed for divorce fromhusbandBrandon Blackstock after nearly seven years of marriage, In her petition for divorce, Clarkson cited “irreconcilable differences” and requested joint custody of the pair’s two children: daughter River Rose, 7, and son, Remington, 5.
In September 2020, the “Kelly Clarkson Show” host opened up about the pain of divorce to Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist.
“I mean, it’s no secret,” she told Geist. “My life has been a little bit of a dumpster … personally, it’s been a little hard the last couple months.
“I’ve been talking to friends that have been through divorce. I don’t know how people go through that without having some kind of outlet because it is the worst thing ever for everyone involved.”
Two months later, a California judge granted Clarkson primary custody of River Rose and Remington — with Blackstock being granted custody a few weekends a month.
“The Court finds that as this case has proceeded, the level of conflict between the parents has increased,” the ruling at the time stated. “The parties have a difficult time co-parenting due to issues of trust between them.”
In July 2021, Clarkson’s legal team asked a Los Angeles judge to officially sign off on her divorce, despite the fact that she and Blackstock were still negotiating the divorce’s details, including spousal and child support.
In her declaration, the Grammy winner said she and Blackstock each “deserve the opportunity to build a new life.”
“Irreconcilable differences have existed and continue to exist between (Blackstock) and me, which have caused our marriage to irretrievably break down,” the document read. “No counseling or reconciliation effort will be of any value at this time.”
Meanwhile, the former couple have also been embroiled in another legal battle pertaining to their professional relationship. Blackstock’s company filed a lawsuit against Clarkson in September 2020, that alleged Clarkson owed the company $1.4 million in unpaid commissions for her work on “The Voice” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2020.
In response, Clarkson countersued, accusing her ex of operating illegally as her manager for years.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
