Kelly Clarkson has shared an update on how her children are coping five months after her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died at age 48 from cancer.
The Voice coach, 43, briefly addressed the way she is supporting her and Blackstock’s daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9, during a backstage Q&A video for The Kelly Clarkson Show, which was published on Saturday, January 10. Clarkson explained that her favorite activity to do each day is to “snuggle” with her children.
“My kids, they’re 9 and 11. Kind of that special little fun stage where they can wipe their own behinds, but they’re still small enough to, like, love cuddling and love snuggles,” she explained. “There’s been a lot for our family recently, and so I have allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit.”
Clarkson continued, “It’s my two dogs, my two kids and me. It’s a lot. It’s been really special, though, because… the conversations you have during that time are pretty cute. So that’s probably my favorite time of day.”
Blackstock died in August 2025 following a three-year cancer battle. The first sign that Blackstock was ill came that same month when Clarkson postponed her “Studio Session” concerts at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
“Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas,” she said in a statement at the time. “While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.”
The American Idol alum concluded, “I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”
One day later, Blackstock’s family released a statement confirming that he’d died after a lengthy battle with cancer.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family,” a family spokesperson told Us Weekly. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
Clarkson stepped away from her daytime talk show and filming on The Voice to support her children, though she eventually got back to work in September 2025.
Meanwhile, Us reported in August 2025 about the way Blackstock’s illness led him to build bridges with Clarkson after their contentious 2022 divorce. A source told Us that Blackstock’s cancer diagnosis “changed [his and Clarkson’s] perspectives” even if it didn’t necessarily bring them “closer together.”
“Co-parenting was not easy for Kelly because she was the one who had to transport the kids, so it was really her life that was always turned upside down,” the insider added. “She is their [children’s] primary parent. But this was catastrophic for them, so immediately Kelly went into mom mode and focused on the kids and how they were coping.”
While Clarkson has mostly shied away from addressing Blackstock’s death in public, her former mother-in-law, Reba McEntire, told Entertainment Tonight at the 2025 Emmy Awards red carpet that their whole family “miss [Blackstock] every minute.” (McEntire was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015. Brandon and his siblings Chassidy and Shawna were from Narvel’s first marriage to Elisa Gayle Ritter, whom he was with from 1973 to 1988.)
“The kids are doing well, they’re all bonding together and hanging out with each other, and taking it one day at a time,” McEntire, 70, said in September 2025. “We know God’s got this.”
Aside from his two children with Clarkson, Blackstock shared daughter Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18, with his ex-wife Melissa Ashworth.
In December 2025, McEntire paid tribute to her late stepson on what would have been his 49th birthday.
“Happy birthday Brandon! We love and miss you a bunch,” the “Fancy” singer wrote via Instagram, alongside a throwback photo of the pair.
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