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.

Clarkson moved to L.A. and reflected on the decision in a recent Spotify podcast, The Rewind. "I did anything that paid,” she said. “I made any job work.…Even now, when people are like, ‘I can’t find a job,’ I’m like, ‘Well, then, you’re not looking." But then, a disaster dismantled those ambitions.

All her hard work came to a halt when the apartment she was sharing with a roommate suddenly caught fire. So much of the things she held dear, from precious items to necessities, were damaged by the fire. No one was injured, but Clarkson was at a crossroads. What could she do now?

After living in her car, Clarkson decided to move back home to Texas, the same state that just so happened to be where auditions were being held for American Idol. Spoiler alert: she aced her audition and became the first "American Idol" of the show. Towards the end, however, she ran into trouble.

On her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, the host interviewed actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. But before the two could engage in a leisurely chitchat, Clarkson offered an intimate moment. Clarkson revealed that towards the end of American Idol's debut season, she attended a red carpet event and faced an onslaught of celebrity critics.

"Okay, you probably don’t remember this," Clarkson stated, "but it stuck with me for so long. We were just so slammed and everything was happening in a whirlwind and people were really mean to us because we’re from a talent show and it was the first season." Then Clarkson recalled how Hewitt had approached her.

"You...ran up to me out of nowhere and [was] like ‘Oh my gosh, I’m really rooting for you,’” Clarkson went on. “You told me, ‘Please keep the ones you love so close and it’ll end up being about a few people in your life." Then, Hewitt gave Clarkson some hard-to-accept advice.

"This business can be really hard," Hewitt told Clarkson. "Just remember to keep those people who really love you." For Clarkson, Hewitt was "really, really kind in such an unkind time." Hewitt had been a small ray of light compared to the darker experiences Clarkson had.

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 (pictured) 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.

In The Soundtrack of My Life, Davis wrote that working on "Since U Been Gone” with Max Martin and Dr. Luke was a drama-filled hassle. Once Clarkson heard what had been written, Davis claimed, she made her feelings about the song clear.

Clarkson put out a statement in response to Davis' claims. "First, he says I burst into 'hysterical sobbing' in his office when he demanded 'Since U Been Gone' be on my album,” she stated. “Not true at all. His stories and songs are mixed up." That wasn't all.

"What's most interesting about [Davis'] story is what he leaves out," Clarkson continued. "He doesn't mention how he stood up in front of his company at a convention and belittled me and my music and completely sabotaged the entire project." Beyond Davis, Clarkson's other critics have not been confined to the music industry.

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.

In 2019, Steve Harvey learned that Steve, a third iteration of his talk show, would be cancelled on NBC. As it turned out, his show was canceled so another show could take its time slot: The Kelly Clarkson Show. Harvey went on Ellen to reveal his thoughts on the matter.

"One of my friends said, 'Man, that's really big of you to be happy for somebody who replaced your show.' I said, 'Nah, I'm happy for her.' My friend said, 'So you watch her show?' And I said, 'I ain’t that happy!'" Perhaps there's another TV host who was unhappy with Clarkson, however.

Tamron Hall, former Today co-host, had her talk show debut on the same day as Clarkson's. When The Kelly Clarkson Show received a swift and early renewal, rumors started to circulate that Hall was less than pleased with how long it was taking for her own show to get the same treatment.

An ABC insider leaked alleged details about how Tamron Hall really felt to The Daily Mail. Hall had been frustrated that her own show was not taking off as well as she had hoped. Hall denied it and eventually her show was renewed. The two hosts could easily end their "feud" — if there ever was one to begin with.

Kelly Clarkson may have had real feuds and perhaps a few created by the tabloids. With her talk show renewed for several more seasons, more secrets will no doubt be revealed about what it was like to be an up-and-comer in the music industry, and not just secrets about Kelly's experience.

When actress Sharon Stone dropped by The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2021, she mentioned how "It's very hard to be a very successful woman and not have everyone controlling you, taking your finances and handling you." Though Kelly no doubt sympathized with the comment, it was actually geared towards a different pop star.

While visiting the talk show, Sharon Stone revealed her unexpected friendship with Britney Spears. "The thing with Britney Spears is so out of control and so awful," Stone said. "The thing" going on with Britney is the Free Britney movement, and it began way before Kelly, Sharon, and the internet got involved.