Kelly Clarkson focused on being fully present for her kids during a difficult holiday season, People reported on January 2, 2025. An inside source told the outlet that Clarkson, who will return to “The Voice” in February, was “heartbroken” for River, 11, and Remington, 9, as they faced their first Christmas without their dad, Brandon Blackstock.
Blackstock was married to Clarkson, the first-ever “American Idol” winner, for nearly seven years before she filed for divorce in 2020. He died of melanoma at age 48 in August 2025.
Kelly Clarkson is ‘Not Someone Who Falls Apart,’ Source Says
GettyCalling Clarkson “a great mom” whose focus has been “to be present for her kids,” the source told People that “Kelly is obviously heartbroken” for them.
“Losing their dad is incredibly painful and confusing,” the source continued. “But she’s also very grounded. She’s not someone who falls apart. She looks at life realistically and does everything she can to make things as steady and loving as possible for her kids.”
In 2023, Clarkson told People that their kids still wished their parents were still together, and that her answer was always the same, explaining, “I just sit there and I’m like, ‘I get it. I’m from a divorced family as well. I get it. That sucks. But we’re going to work it out. And you are so loved by both of us.'”
Though Clarkson and Blackstock went through a contentious divorce, things shifted after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, which the family kept quiet until his death. Fans questioned Clarkson’s absences from her talk show in 2025, unaware that she was tending to her family as Blackstock’s conditioned worsened. In early August, she abruptly canceled her Las Vegas residency the day before his death, on August 7.
Kelly Clarkson Spent Holidays With Her Kids Instead of Working
Clarkson’s focus on her kids has been evident in the ways she’s prioritized her time during the holidays. Over Thanksgiving weekend, she posted a photo with her family ice skating at 30 Rock. But she did not host the Rockefeller Christmas special days later, as she’d done the previous two years. Country star Reba McEntire, a fellow coach on “The Voice” and Blackstock’s former stepmom, stepped in to headline the NBC special.
Clarkson did pull off an elaborate holiday performance that aired during the Christmas Day NFL games on Netflix, but her appearance was pre-recorded.
Meanwhile, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” went on a holiday hiatus on December 22, according to Entertainment Weekly, with new shows slated to begin airing on January 12. According to ticket manager 1iota, Clarkson is scheduled to be back in her New York studio a week earlier, taping two shows on January 6 — one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Clarkson will be one of three coaches on the next season of “The Voice,” debuting in late February, but she recorded the Blind Auditions with Adam Levine and John Legend over the summer, before Blackstock’s death.
So sorry for the great loss of their Father. I was a divorced mom and my children’s father died at 49 of a massive heart attack so I know that it is so hard on children even though mine were in their teens. My prayers are with you and your family