Kelly Clarkson Is Awarded the $10.4 Million Montana Ranch in Divorce From Brandon Blackstock

Kelly Clarkson Awarded $10.4 Million Montana Ranch in Divorce

A judge gave Kelly Clarkson the reins to the $10.4 million Montana ranch where her estranged husband, Brandon Blackstock, has been living since their split. 

The court rejected Blackstock’s position that the Montana ranch is marital property and should be shared equally by both exes, according to the Sept. 30 order obtained by E! News. Instead, the judge upheld their premarital agreement.

The decision means Clarkson takes control of the farm since she purchased the home, according to a source.

“The Court further finds that the Montana Ranch and the other two Montana properties are not titled in both of the Parties’ names either as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as tenants by the entireties, as required under the PMA to create marital property,” reads the decision. “The Court therefore rejects Respondent’s position that the Montana Ranch and other Montana properties are marital property owned 50/50 by the Parties.” 

The situation appears to be complicated for the pair: While Clarkson owns the property, Blackstock is the one living there.

After separating from The Voice coach, Blackstock made a “deliberate choice” to “change his life” and become a full-time rancher, according to an August filing obtained by E! News. At the time, he was “exclusively using” the Montana ranch as his “residence and business.” 

Clarkson previously requested permission to sell the ranch because of the “financial burden” of maintaining a property that was only being used by her ex-husband. The costs of maintaining the ranch are $81,000 per month, the court determined. 

However, the judge initially rejected her request to sell the Montana site. Blackstock was ordered to pay the hefty property fees beginning in April 2021.

For her part, Clarkson is required to pay nearly $200,000 per month to Blackstock, a former music manager, in spousal and child support. He is responsible for “100% of the cost” of transporting their two children (River, 7, and Remington, 5) to and from Montana. He has a 25 percent custodial timeshare.