Kelly Clarkson Makes Her 1st Public Appearance Since Filing for Divorce From Brandon Blackstock

Back to work! Kelly Clarkson made her first public appearance since she filed for divorce from estranged husband Brandon Blackstock.

The “Because of You” singer, 38, participated in the “Lead With Love” telethon which benefitted Project Angel Food, a Los Angeles-based organization that cooks and delivers healthy meals for those in need. Kelly, along with celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Idol and Debra Messing, helped raise $684,432 for the organization on Saturday, June 27. During the broadcast, the American Idol alum performed a cover of U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.”

Kelly’s public appearance comes just three weeks after In Touch confirmed she split from Brandon, 43, after nearly seven years of marriage. In her court filing on June 4, she cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce, according to documents obtained by In Touch.

Kelly and Brandon started dating in 2011, then tied the knot in October 2013. They share two children, daughter River and son Remington. Kelly is also a stepmom to Brandon’s two kids from a previous marriage, son Seth and daughter Savannah.

The former couple was experiencing issues in their marriage prior to their breakup, which were only “heightened” when they self-quarantined together during the coronavirus pandemic, an insider revealed to Life & Style at the time. Kelly “hated having to self-isolate” with Brandon, the source continued. “They haven’t been getting along for a while and clashed on so many levels.”

While they mostly kept their relationship under wraps, Kelly spoke candidly and admitted to having issues in her marriage with the talent manager just two years before their separation.

“If I sat here and told you that everything was perfect, that’d be a damn lie in anybody’s relationship. But you have to work at it,” she said via Facebook Live in November 2018.

Despite their marital problems, it seems like Brandon and Kelly’s relationship is amicable amid their divorce. On Friday, June 26, the “Since U Been Gone” singer gave her ex a sweet shout-out while celebrating her Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host win for season 1 of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“Thank you so much to @BBlackstock for believing in me & convincing me to do @KellyClarksonTV show,” she wrote via Twitter.