The Stunning Transformation Of Kelly Clarkson

Since taking home the crown as the very first "American Idol" winner in 2002, Kelly Clarkson has been captivating the hearts of fans everywhere with her undeniable talent, catchy hits, quick wit, Southern charm, and no-nonsense attitude. The songstress has built a wildly successful career spanning more than a decade with hit songs such as "Breakaway," "Because of You," "Heartbeat Song," "Since U Been Gone," and "Miss Independent," and she's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. 

Most impressively, perhaps, is Clarkson's ability to experiment with — and dominate — any genre of music she chooses. From pop princess, to rock-n-roll diva, to country queen, Clarkson can quite literally do it all. If you don't believe us, you obviously didn't see her opening performance at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards — the gal rapped Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE." and totally killed. 

From her evolving sound to her evolving look, Clarkson is a star to be admired for her ability to remain super down-to-earth despite her mega fame. Here's a look at the stunning transformation of the original American Idol. 

In a 2011 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kelly Clarkson provided the soundtrack to her life — for instance, particular songs that defined the monumental moments in Clarkson's life both before and after becoming a superstar. When asked to name the song that made her want to pursue a career in music, Clarkson responded with Reba McEntire's "Read My Mind." 

"Growing up, my mom [was] a single parent; it was just a really hard life. It was really great, but really hard," Clarkson explained. "When I was a kid, for whatever reason, [McEntire's] voice sounded like home."

Clarkson has been open with her fans about her experience growing up without her father — but she doesn't want anyone's pity. "I think If you don't grow up with it... it's hard to miss something you never had," she told "Today." And the star is in a much better place today. After all, the woman who inspired her to pursue a musical career is now her mother-in-law! It's a small world, after all. 

Kelly Clarkson may be famous for being the original reality singing competition star, but according to the star herself, she had no clue what she was even getting herself into! In a February 2018 appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon," Clarkson dished that she had no idea what she was signing up for when she decided to audition for "American Idol."

"I was one of those dumb people that was like, 'Where do I sign?' I had no idea it was a TV show until the third [audition]," the star told Fallon, laughing. "[Singing was] really the only gift I possessed, so I was like, 'I gotta make money somehow off this,'" Clarkson joked. "It could've ended very poorly."

Luckily for Clarkson, her run on the singing competition ended in the best way possible. The former small-town Texas gal was voted in as the very first American Idol in September 2002, kicking off a wildly successful career. 

In 2007, five years after her American Idol win, Kelly Clarkson announced the release of "My December" — the singer's third studio album and a noticeable shift from her pop roots. 

"People are probably going to be like, 'What happened to you?'" Clarkson joked to MTV about "Never Again," an angsty single from her 2007 album. Clarkson, who credits Alanis Morrisette's provocative "Jagged Little Pill" album for making her a better songwriter, drew comparisons to the Canadian-born rocker with lyrics like "I hope the ring you gave her turns her finger green/ I hope when you're in bed with her, you think of me." The racy lyrics were far removed from Clarkson's previous hits such as "A Moment Like This" and "Breakaway" — a fact the songstress owned with pride. "There's more 'me' on this record," she told MTV of "My December." "I had more hold on the reins because I wrote the entire thing." 

Not only did Clarkson begin to sound more like Alanis Morrisette with the release of "My December" — she traded her blonde highlights for dark locks that favored the "Head Over Feet" singer's signature, sultry look. 

Body shamers, begone!

In 2017, Clarkson was praised for her response to a mean-spirited Twitter user who took to the social media platform to call the "Because of You" singer fat. Clarkson's quick-witted response? "I'm still f—ing awesome." 

Though society may associate skinniness with happiness, Clarkson sees it the other way around. As she told Redbook (via Us Weekly) in a 2017 feature, she's usually happier when she's sporting a few extra pounds."People think, 'Oh, there's something wrong with her. She's putting on weight," Clarkson told the magazine. "I'm like, 'Oh, no! I'm sorry, but that represents happiness in my emotional world. For me, when I'm skinny is usually when I'm not doing well." 

Clarkson also spoke to Attitude (via CNN) in 2017 about her battle with weight, blaming the pressures of newfound fame for her thin appearance toward the beginning of her career. "I was miserable, like inside and out, for four years of my life," the singer lamented.

In May 2017, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson would be making her return to her television roots as a judge on a popular reality television singing competition. And while "American Idol" had recently announced its return to TV, Clarkson wouldn't be joining the show that kickstarted her career for its reboot. Instead, Clarkson joined the judges' panel on the hit NBC series, "The Voice." 

Many people wondered why Clarkson would choose "The Voice" over the show that started it all for her. Clarkson's reasoning was simple (and totally understandable) — she wanted to be with her family. Since her husband, Brandon Blackstock, manages Blake Shelton, a fellow judge on "The Voice" — Clarkson told Entertainment Weekly that she usually found herself on-set with her husband and children anyway. 

With her husband and kids close by, accepting a position on the judges' panel was a total no-brainer for the singer. And considering Clarkson's team won the competition during her first season as a judge, it seems the original "American Idol" winner hasn't lost touch with her singing competition roots.

In March 2020, Kelly Clarkson, husband Brandon Blackstock, and their kids holed up in their Montana ranch for the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Months later on June 4, she filed for divorce, listing the date of separation as "TBD." This was not one of those amicable Hollywood divorces; that became clear in the legal filings that had Clarkson gaining primary custody of their children, which described "conflict" between the soon-to-be ex-spouses. "The parties have a difficult time co-parenting due to issues of trust between them," noted one court document, as reported by People.  

In September 2021, a judge approved Clarkson's request to declare her to be officially divorced and legally single. However, the financial aspects of the divorce had yet to be fully hammered out. One major point of contention was their Montana ranch, where Blackstock had been living. In October 2021, a judge awarded ownership of the property to Clarkson, who subsequently agreed to give Blackstock a 5.12 percent ownership stake in the ranch, representing about $900,000 of its full $17.75 million value.

The divorce was finalized in March 2022 and wound up costing Clarkson plenty: Not only did she pay Blackstock a one-time lump sum of about $1.3 million, but she was also on the hook for $45,000 per month in child support, with the former spouses maintaining joint custody of their children. She was also ordered to pay him $115,000 monthly in spousal support until January 2024.

Although Kelly Clarkson's divorce from Brandon Blackstock was settled in 2022, there were still legalities to be ironed out stemming from Blackstock's former role as her manager.

Clarkson sued Blackstock, alleging he'd illegally overstepped the boundaries of his position as manager. In legal documents obtained by ETOnline, Clarkson claimed he'd booked various jobs for her and then finalized the contracts. These included her role as coach on "The Voice," becoming a spokeswoman for Wayfair and Norwegian Cruise Line, and hosting the Billboard Music Awards. In doing so, however, he'd violated California labor laws, which stipulate that only a licensed talent agent can secure those types of deals. As a result, a California labor commissioner ruled in Clarkson's favor. She was awarded $2,641,374 in commissions that shouldn't have gone to him; unsurprisingly, Blackstock appealed the decision.

An interesting tidbit emerged from the court filings in the case, relating to something that Blackstock told his then-wife regarding her future role on "The Voice." According to the New York Post, Clarkson testified that she had long wanted to be a part of "The Voice," but Blackstock told her the show was "looking for a more sex symbol type," citing Rihanna as an example. During her testimony, Clarkson was asked how she remembered that specific conversation. "Well, a wife doesn't forget a time she gets told she's not a sex symbol, so that stays," Clarkson said.

Kelly Clarkson made a big move in 2023 when she relocated from Los Angeles to New York City. That move also impacted her daytime talk show, with "The Kelly Clarkson Show" shifting to filming in NYC at the start of its fifth season. As she said during an appearance on "Today," she'd never been that big a fan of L.A. "It's just never been my thing, in 20 years," she explained, via People. "I never wanted to live there in the first place."

Clarkson's decision to swap coasts ultimately had to do with the state of her mental health after her divorce. "I was very depressed for the last three years — and maybe a little before that, if I'm being honest," she candidly told People. "I think I really needed the change." According to Clarkson, making the move from L.A. to the Big Apple has indeed been the panacea she needed, both for herself and for her children. "My kids are thriving here," she said of her new home in Manhattan. "We're just doing so much better, and we needed a fresh start."

However, Clarkson admitted that she approached the move with no shortage of trepidation. "I'll be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision," Clarkson told USA Today, but revealed she quickly fell in love with her new home. "I genuinely love it, and I love that my kids love it," she added. 

As the pain from her divorce subsided over time, Kelly Clarkson was not one of those celebrities to immediately dive back into the dating pool in search of a new partner. She appeared on Instagram Live in September 2023 to answer fans' questions, one of which asked if she had a new man in her life. "Do I have a boyfriend? No! And not looking. You know why? I love being single," she said, via People. "And, you know, you think you're going to spend the rest of your life with somebody, and you don't. That's hard to start over."

In fact, during a subsequent interview with People, Clarkson revealed that she hadn't really been jonesing to tie the knot in the first place but agreed to it for the sake of her ex-husband. "I never wanted to get married the first time," she said. "[Brandon Blackstock] had children, a religious background, and it was important, I think, for him. But I've never been that person." She also insisted she wouldn't even entertain the notion of remarrying until her children were grown and were no longer living with her.

She also elaborated on why she wasn't eager to begin dating. "Dating sucks. It's so awkward," she said. "I was single until I was, like, 30, and I forgot how really good at that I am ... I'm really good right now, I'm having a good time."