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Kelly Clarkson recalls being a stepmom to teenagers during marriage to Brandon Blackstock: 'Real different'

The American Idol alum shares two kids with ex Brandon Blackstock, and was a stepmom to his older kids from a previous marriage

May 1, 2024

Kelly Clarkson may not have reached the angsty teenage years with her own kids just yet, but that's not to say she hasn't gotten a taste of what it's like.

The American Idol alum, 42, shares daughter River Rose, nine, and Remington "Remy" Alexander, eight, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, with whom she was with from 2013 to 2020.

During her marriage to Brandon, 47, the talk show host was a stepmom to his more grown up kids with ex-wife Melissa Ashworth, Savannah, who will be 22 in June, and Seth, 17, and recently opened up about just how "different" teenagers are from tweens and toddlers.

During the Wednesday episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly talked about the difficulties of parenting with guest Jim Gaffigan, himself a father to five children.

"Parenting is so hard," the comedian shared, and told Kelly: "You don't have teenagers yet, and believe me…" before she jumped in to clarify that she was once a stepmom to teenagers.

"I have had teenagers in my house, for like eight years," she shared, adding: "I had that, we were a blended family, it's real different."

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The Blackstock-Clarkson family in 2019

"It's hell," Jim joked, to which Kelly added: "Yeah, it's not even just like hell, it's just interesting, and just like, I would say.. mood swings."

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She continued: "There's a lot of moods going on and you just don't know which one it's going to be," and Jim then quipped: "It's so crazy, it's almost sad, because you have this sweet 12 year old, and then boom, they've become satan."

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Kelly and Brandon finalized their divorce in 2022

Jim was on the show promoting both his new film Unfrosted – a comedy about the history of the Pop-Tart starring Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Grant, Melissa McCarthy, Sarah Cooper, James Marsden, Dan Levy, and Peter Dinklage, among others – as well as his bourbon, Fathertime.

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As the two parents further talked about enjoying some downtime – with some alcohol – after a busy day of parenting, Kelly also recalled her nighttime routine with her ex. 

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The singer moved with her kids from California to New York last year

"That was a thing for us too," she shared about the nightcap, adding: "When I was married, it would be like, 'They're in bed, the door is closed,' and then it's like the exhale."

Kelly and Brandon initially split in June of 2020, however they had a long drawn out divorce that wasn't finalized until 2022 after a myriad of legal battles concerning both their children and finances, some of which are still ongoing.

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