Kelly Clarkson Requests To Change Her Name Completely Amidst Her Contentious Divorce

Kelly Clarkson is so moving on — and not just from her estranged husband Brandon Blackstock. Instead of simply reverting back to her maiden name amidst her ongoing divorce, the singer and talk show host wants to change her name completely. Clarkson filed a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Feb. 14 asking to legally change her name from Kelly Clarkson to Kelly Brianne, opting to use her first and middle names instead.

As reported by US Weekly, in the court documents, Clarkson said that she has the “desire” to change her name for personal reasons. “My new name more fully reflects who I am,” she explained. It is not known whether she plans to go by Kelly Brianne professionally or stick with Clarkson as her stage name, but a source has told Entertainment Tonight that the name of The Kelly Clarkson Show is “not changing.” Her self-titled talk show is currently in its third season and has been renewed through 2023. A hearing to address her request has been scheduled for March 28.

The name change request comes amidst her contentious split from Blackstock. Clarkson filed for divorce from her ex in June 2020 after seven years of marriage, requesting primary custody of their two children, 7-year-old daughter River Rose and 5-year-old son Remington. Since then, the former couple have battled in court over spousal support, their prenup agreement, and a Montana home that Blackstock reportedly refused to leave after their separation. In August 2021, their prenup agreement was upheld by a judge, meaning that Clarkson will be able to keep everything she earned during the marriage, including the Montana property.

Clarkson has rarely opened up about her divorce, telling her talk show viewers in September 2020 that she’d prefer to express her feelings through music, which she started doing on her 2021 Christmas album When Christmas Comes Around. In December 2020, Clarkson explained on her talk show that she got divorced for the sake of her children. “I didn't leave a marriage in spite of being a good mother. I left because I am a good mother,” author Glennon Doyle told Clarkson, who agreed wholeheartedly. “That's what I needed to see to make a step in my own life,” she said. “I realized, ‘This isn't happiness, and we both deserve better.’”