Kelly Clarkson gave fans a glimpse into how she’s doing after the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
The singer opened up about grief with Lionel Richie while discussing his new memoir, Truly, on the Thursday, October 2, episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I do think a lot of people deal with grief in such a different way, but I love that you say, ‘Grief is the great teacher of what matters most,’” she said of a line from Richie’s book. “And I think, no matter how you deal with grief, it is very different for everyone. But I do find that very, very true.”
She went on to ask Richie, “How did you figure that out?” He responded, “It’s a real moment where you can’t phone it in, but at the same time, we rehearse things. You can’t rehearse grief. You can’t rehearse the loss of your mother or your father or a friend. You can’t rehearse that.”
Clarkson noted, “It hits you in waves,” before Richie continued, “What I found is that when I get involved with the word uncontrollable grief, I let go. Believe it or not, I look forward to finding out who am I going to be really ’cause that’s the real me. If it hurts so badly, that means you love so deeply.”
Richie’s words deeply moved Clarkson, as she said with a sigh, “Aw, s***.” Richie jumped out of his seat and jokingly mimicked an exorcism by placing his hand on Clarkson’s forehead. “I can save you, don’t worry,” he quipped.
“I feel healed,” Clarkson laughed.
This week not only marked The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s Season 7 premiere, but also Clarkson’s first time back on TV since Blackstock’s death at the age of 48 back in August. “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away,” a representative for his family shared in an August 7 statement to People. “Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
Clarkson and Blackstock wed in 2012 and welcomed their two kids, River and Remy, in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Clarkson filed for divorce from her ex in 2020, and their split was finalized in 2022.
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Clarkson has not publicly addressed Blackstock’s death. However, her show’s music director, Jason Halbert, recently told USA Today that the series’ return has been “emotional for all of us.”
“I don’t know how [Clarkson] compartmentalizes watching that segment, super emotional, and then jumping into, like, making crafts with kids, and then jumping into emoting a song,” Halbert shared in the interview published on Monday, September 29. “A lot happened for us all in the last year, on personal and career levels. You’re going to see some songs reflect things that maybe she wouldn’t talk about verbally in a sitting on the couch interview.”
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