Intimate Details About Kelly Clarkson Expose A New Side Of The 'Idol' Star

Kelly was born in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1982. Her mother Jeanne Ann taught English to first graders, and her father Stephen Michael Clarkson was an engineer. She also had two older siblings named Jason and Alyssa. Sadly, the brood would be split up before Kelly hit puberty.

The Clarksons were, in Kelly’s own words, “highly conservative,” and the young girl grew up attending church twice a week. She was even the leader of her youth group! Tightly knit, they never expected the event that rocked their entire world in 1988.

It was in that year, when Kelly was only six years old, that her father Stephen abandoned the family. Usually when parents divorce, they leave their spouse — not their children. This was not the case for the Clarkson family, and her father’s absence would haunt her for years, inspiring much of her music.

After the separation, Kelly’s brother went to stay with their father, her sister lived with an aunt, and the future star stayed with her mother. It was a traumatic time in her life, and her father made no attempt to parent her from then on out. Years later, when Kelly was in middle school, one teacher would change the course of her life.

Kelly was in 7th grade when her school’s choir teacher overheard the preteen belting it out in the hallway. She could tell instantly the girl had undeniable talent, and convinced her to utilize it. After that, Kelly started performing in school talent shows and musicals; everyone who witnessed her sing could see she was destined for stardom.

After high school, Kelly was offered full scholarships to three prestigious universities, including Berklee College of Music. Astoundingly, the 18-year-old turned them all down, instead deciding to go on her own. It was the year 2000; only two years later, the whole world would know her name.

It was in 2002 that Clarkson competed on the first season of reality singing show American Idol. After her big win, the pop star signed a contract with RCA Records. Her first single, "A Moment Like This," broke records set by the Beatles and became the best-selling single in the U.S. that year.

In 2004 Kelly’s second album, Breakaway, was also a massive hit. It brought the world classics such as Since U Been Gone and Walk Away. However despite her mainstream success, Kelly was yearning for something more. She wanted the music to reflect more of her own experiences. Little did she know, this would lead to a vicious feud.

Producer Clive Davis had worked with her on her previous music, but ahead of her third album, Kelly wanted to do things differently. For My December, released in 2007, she allowed less outside help and focused on writing more of her own songs. Clive, however, was skeptical, and he made his opinions known.

Davis gave the star some constructive criticism, suggesting that the album needed to be reworked, in part because he feared none of the songs were single material, and that overall the tracks were too negative. Kelly took offense, ultimately firing her management and going it alone. This would prove to be a mistake.

Although My December did well commercially, she regretted her falling out with Davis. Calling him an “important force in my success,” she noted that the fight had been blown out of proportion. Still, Kelly’s career was thriving. She released All I Ever Wanted in 2009, followed by 2011’s Stronger.

Although she was excellent at keeping up with appearances, behind that perfect facade Kelly was fighting serious medical problems. In fact, as far back as 2006, Kelly had been struggling with a thyroid issue as well as an autoimmune condition. She attributed a large weight gain to these ailments.

Still, health issues didn’t hold her back from finding love. In 2012 she began dating Brandon Blackstock, the son of her former manager. Only a year later, the two were happily married. Blackstock had two children that Kelly raised as her own, and they also welcomed a daughter, River. However, not everything is meant to be…

The pair stayed together for seven years, and on the outside it seemed as if everything was peachy. Kelly and Brandon often posted adorable group pictures that made it seem like they had the perfect marriage. Turns out, this wasn’t exactly the case.

The first sign of trouble was Kelly’s public comments about wanting more children. While she had previously stated that she never wanted to be pregnant again, later she changed her mind. In a 2020 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, she admitted that she did want more, while her husband felt they already had their hands full.

While this was certainly an obstacle, it seemed surmountable. But the rumors began piling up. Sources close to the couple added that the two had drastically different personalities, with Blackstock being more laid back compared to Kelly’s high strung nature. Her busy schedule of running her own show and acting as a coach on The Voice didn’t help.

As if their problems weren’t jarring enough, the pair was then forced to quarantine together with their children. This brought tensions to a boiling point. From working at home to taking care of the kids, Brandon and Kelly barely had time for each other. Eventually, she filed for divorce.

While this was undoubtedly an incredibly painful chapter in Clarkson’s life, she didn’t let sadness turn her bitter. Even after the separation she’s publicly thanked her husband for supporting her personally and professionally. There’s another man in her life, however, who didn’t get off the hook quite so easily.

As previously mentioned, Clarkson’s father Stephen abandoned the star when she was only a child. Despite repeated attempts on her part to get into contact and heal old wounds, he reportedly never returned her efforts. The singer described it as “humiliating” and stated she has no interest in bridging the gap.

Unfortunately, grudges like Kelly's in the music industry aren't that uncommon. At first glance, these two artists appear to be cut from the same cloth. They sport bold haircuts, sing passionately, and speak candidly. Even Miley Cyrus herself sees the resemblance — after all, she compared her controversial Wrecking Ball video to Sinéad O'connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U video.

When Sinéad caught wind of Miley’s comparison, she felt compelled to draft up a response — we’re talking over 1,000 words in essay format. Her message? Miley was being used and “pimped” by the pop industry. Here are just a few excerpts from Sinéad’s open letter:

“I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe… that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos.” Not cool to be naked in music videos? Bjork, David Bowie, and Madonna — just to name a few — might disagree.

“Yes, I'm suggesting you don't care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you.” Oof. You just know Miley wasn’t okay being told to be “lady-like.” Sinéad went on…

“I’ve been in the business long enough to know that men are making more money than you are from you getting naked… Your body is for you and your boyfriend.” With Sinéad’s net-worth of $400,000 and Miley’s at $200 million plus, we’re not sure Miley needs advice. So, what happened?

Whether or not Miley agreed with Sinéad’s “words of wisdom”, the young singer’s response wasn’t exactly praise-worthy. Just two years prior, Sinéad had been suffering with a mental illness and her struggles began to spill out on social media.

One day, Sinéad released a string of tweets speaking openly about her need for medication. She said she was having a mental breakdown, but was unable to find help at her nearby hospitals in Ireland. Here are few quotes from that day:

“I’m in serious danger… I desperately need to get back on meds today… can any psychiatrist see me today and get me back on meds an help me without me having to go hospital?” Miley, after reading these tweets, found it hypocritical of Sinéad to be dishing out advice.

On October 3rd, 2013, Miley re-tweeted a screenshot of Sinead’s tweets with this caption: “Before Amanda Bynes… There was…” Earlier that year, Bynes repeatedly called Miley “ugly” on social media. So, Miley decided to drag them both at the same time, and she wasn’t finished.

Miley also posted a photo of Sinead on SNL tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II, which Sinéad had done to protest the abusive scandals coming out of the Catholic Church. Not the classiest response from Miley, but neither was Sinéad’s.

With few words, Miley ignited something in Sinéad O’Connor that burned so intensely, the Irish singer wrote not just one more open letter… but three. In them, Sinéad repeatedly called out Miley’s promiscuity, which today might be seen as “slut shaming.” You be the judge.

When Sinéad heard about the then-20-year-old’s insensitive posts, she immediately penned a letter and released it the following day. This time, it was about half the length, but double the expletives. Below are a few excerpts:

“Miley… Really? Who the f*** is advising you? Because taking me on is even more f****n’ stupid than behaving like a prostitute and calling it feminism.” Sinéad went on to critique Miley’s insensitivity toward mental illness.

"You mock myself and Amanda Bynes for having suffered with mental health issues and for having sought help… Have you any idea how stupid and dangerous it is to mock people for suffering illness? You will yourself one day suffer such illness, that is without doubt.” Then, Sinéad lawyered up.

“Remove your tweets immediately or you will hear from my lawyers. I am certain you will be hearing from all manner of mental health advocacy groups also.” She also kicked back at the image of her tearing up the pope’s photo.

“I suggest you read all the reports which will illuminate for you why that action of mine remains sane and valid. You mock every child who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of priests.” Sinéad nearly stuck the landing, but then doubled-back to Miley’s perceived promiscuity.

“You could really do with educating yourself, that is if you’re not too busy getting your t*** out to read,” the letter concluded, leaving the ball in Miley’s court. Miley, after giving her sledgehammer a good lick, slammed that ball right back.

“Sinéad. I don’t have time to write you an open letter cause I’m hosting & performing on SNL this week. So if you’d like to meet up and talk lemme know in your next letter. :)” We all know where this was going.

The third letter turned down Miley’s “invitation” and, once again, insisted the tweets be removed. “You can take five minutes today between g- string f*****g changes,” said Sinéad. When Miley didn’t comply, the fourth letter was released. Sinéad blamed Miley for the backlash she'd received.

Since then, no lawyers were called, no letters were written, and Miley’s tweet remains posted. However, it was flagged as “potentially sensitive content.” Who won: Sinéad or Miley? Honestly, we still can’t tell. But during their squabbling, another pop diva was navigating a hell all her own.