Kelly Clarkson shares an update on her children following the death of her ex-husband

Kelly Clarkson shared an update on how her children are doing, five months after her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died of cancer at age 48.

The Vote coach, 43, spoke briefly about how she supports her and Blackstock’s daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9, during a backstage Q&A video for The Kelly Clarkson Showwhich was published on Saturday January 10th. Clarkson explained that her favorite thing to do every day is “cuddle” with her children.

“My kids are 9 and 11. Kind of a special little stage where they can wipe their own bottoms, but they’re still small enough that they like to cuddle and cuddle,” she explained. “A lot has been happening for our family lately, so I let my kids sleep with me for a while.”

Clarkson continued, “It’s my two dogs, my two kids and me. It’s a lot. It was really special though because… the conversations you have during that time are kind of cute. So that’s probably my favorite part of the day.”

Blackstock died in August 2025 after a three-year battle with cancer. 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 have to postpone the remainder of the August studio session dates in Las Vegas,” she said in a statement at the time. “Although I normally keep my personal life private, my children’s father has been ill for the past year and right now I need to be completely there for them.”

The American Idol alum concluded, “I am truly sorry to everyone who purchased tickets to the shows and I deeply appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”

A day later, Blackstock’s family released a statement confirming that he had 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 surrounded by family,” a family spokesperson said. We weekly. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this very difficult time.”

Clarkson stepped away from her daytime talk show and continued filming The voice to support her children, although she eventually returned to work in September 2025.

In the meantime, Us reported in August 2025 about how Blackstock’s illness led him to build bridges with Clarkson after their contentious divorce in 2022. A source said Us that Blackstock’s cancer diagnosis “changed [his and Clarkson’s] perspectives’, even if this did not necessarily bring them ‘closer together’.

“Co-parenting wasn’t easy for Kelly because she was the one who had to transport the kids, so it was basically her life that was always turned upside down,” the insider added. ‘She’s theirs [children’s] primary parent. But this was catastrophic for them, so Kelly immediately went into mom mode and focused on the kids and how they were coping.

While Clarkson has usually shied away from publicly addressing Blackstock’s death, her former mother-in-law, Reba McEntiretold Entertainment tonight on the 2025 Emmy Awards red carpet ‘missing’ their entire family [Blackstock] every minute.” (McEntire was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstockfrom 1989 to 2015. Brandon and his siblings Chassidy and Shawna were from Narvel’s first marriage to Elisa Gayle Ritterwith whom he was together from 1973 to 1988.)

“The kids are doing well, they’re all bonding and hanging out, taking it one day at a time,” McEntire, 70, said in September 2025. “We know God has this.”

Related: How Reba McEntire Supported Stepson Brandon Blackstock Before His Death

Reba McEntire and Brandon Blackstock’s father, Narvel Blackstock, split a decade ago, but the country superstar was still there for the family in the months leading up to Brandon’s death. “Reba has spent more time with the Blackstock crew in the past year than in previous years,” an insider tells Us Weekly exclusively, adding that […]

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.

“Congratulations Brandon! We love you and miss you so much,” the “Fancy” singer wrote via Instagram, alongside a throwback photo of the couple.