The $2.6 million figure comes from a 2023 California labor commissioner ruling over commissions tied to deals Kelly Clarkson’s former husband and manager, Brandon Blackstock, procured while managing her. It was not a new divorce judgment: the pair settled lawsuits over commissions in 2024, and Blackstock died in August 2025. The settlement’s exact terms have not been established in the available reporting.
What the $2.6 million ruling covered
In November 2023, a California labor commissioner ruled that Blackstock owed Clarkson $2,641,374 in commissions connected to deals he procured while serving as her manager, according to reporting that cited court documents. The underlying decision is not reproduced in the available reporting, so the figure and legal reasoning should be understood as reported accounts of the ruling, rather than a direct review of the decision. ABC News reported the award and its basis.
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The deals cited in coverage included Clarkson’s work as a coach on The Voice, hosting the Billboard Music Awards, and promotions for Wayfair and Norwegian Cruise Line. ABC reported that nearly $2 million of the repayment was attributed to The Voice deal. That amount is a reported component of the 2023 ruling, not a separate award.
Why the manager’s role became a legal issue
The dispute concerned whether a manager who did not hold a talent-agency license could procure employment for an artist. ABC quoted the California labor commissioner’s ruling: “A manager, like any person without a talent agency license, cannot procure or attempt to procure employment for artists.” The reported ruling applied that rule to the deals Blackstock procured while managing Clarkson.
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What happened after the ruling
The parties settled commission lawsuits in 2024
Clarkson and Blackstock settled lawsuits over commissions in 2024. The available reporting does not establish the settlement’s exact terms. It therefore does not show whether the settlement paid, reduced, or otherwise extinguished the specific $2,641,374 award. The Associated Press reported on Blackstock’s death and the prior settlement.
Blackstock died in 2025
The Associated Press reported that Blackstock died on August 7, 2025, aged 48. The reporting available here does not establish whether any later estate or enforcement proceedings followed, so the ruling should not be presented as a newly pending dispute between the former spouses.
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How to read the headline today
“Owes her $2.6 million” refers to the amount attributed to the 2023 labor commissioner ruling, not a current finding about what remained due after the 2024 settlement. This was a commission dispute arising from management and work-procurement arrangements, not a divorce settlement judgment. The settlement’s financial terms and any subsequent enforcement outcome are not established by the cited coverage.
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