Kelly Clarkson has achieved a significant legal victory as the labor commissioner ruled that her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, must repay her over $2.6 million in commissions. These commissions were paid to Blackstock for securing business deals while he served as Clarkson’s manager. The deals that Blackstock was involved in included her role as a judge on The Voice, which should have been handled by her talent agents at Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
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The California labor commissioner, Lilia Garcia-Brower, determined that Blackstock violated California’s Talent Agencies Act (TAA), which strictly prohibits anyone other than a licensed talent agent from securing work for artists. As a result, Blackstock is required to reimburse the commissions earned from four deals. These deals include $1,983,155.70 for Clarkson’s role on The Voice, $208,125 for promoting Norweigan Cruise Lines, $450,000 for promoting Wayfair, and $93.30 for hosting the Billboard Music Awards in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
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While Blackstock is responsible for the repayment of these specific deals, the commissioner rejected Clarkson’s claim that he should also repay the commissions earned from helping to secure The Kelly Clarkson Show. The commissioner ruled that Blackstock’s involvement in that deal, including strategizing with her agents, was done with the permission of CAA and therefore not in violation of the law.
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Following a seven-year marriage, Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020. The divorce was finalized in 2022, with the singer agreeing to pay monthly child support of $45,601 for their two children, along with a one-time payment of just over $1.3 million.
Attorneys for both parties have not yet provided comments regarding this recent decision.
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