About 10 years ago, I walked into a Chick-fil-A in Mansfield, hung a right, and headed toward the restroom. In the corner, away from everyone’s line of sight, sat Kelly Clarkson wearing a baseball cap in a booth.
We made eye contact. The Grammy-winning entertainer realized that I recognized her, and being the polite person she’s known to be, prepared to make time and greet another fan. But her body language also indicated she was just wanting to chill and have a chicken sandwich in peace.
So, I smiled and nodded at her. She smiled back, and I went on my way.
Later, I told the crew chief, and he said, yeah, she’s known to stop in. She owns a mansion a few miles from here.
He’s correct. Clarkson grew up in Burleson, made her riches as an entertainer after winning American Idol in 2002, and bought a 14-acre ranch at 5956 Bennett Lawson Road in Mansfield. In 2012, she put the ranch on the market for $1.495 million and sold it. In June, she also sold a $6.3 million mansion in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. In January, she listed her Encino, Calif., mansion for $9 million.
I bring this up because Clarkson is back in the news about her residential situation. Last week, a Montana judge ruled that Clarkson is the sole titleholder of a $10.4 million ranch that she shared with her estranged husband, Brandon Blackstock, according to E! News.
They split in 2020, and Blackstock has been living on the ranch, but now Clarkson can take control because she alone purchased the home during their marriage, according to the report.
Clarkson previously requested permission to sell the ranch because of the property’s maintenance costs. The court determined that the ranch’s maintenance costs were $81,000 per month.
Blackstock was ordered to pay the property fees and Clarkson is required to pay nearly $200,000 per month in spousal and child support, E! News reported.
So, the legal part of that matter is mostly off her plate. Now, she’s no doubt focusing on her Kelly Clarkson Show, which inherits Ellen DeGeneres’ time slot. I bet life was easier when she was just scarfing down chicken sandwiches.
