Kelly Clarkson Shares Real Reason She’s Not Ready to Date Again

It’s been just over a year since Blackstock—to whom Clarkson was married for seven years before their 2020 split—passed away at the age of 48 after a three-year battle with melanoma. And as her children navigate life without their dad, she’s made sure to be by their side as much as possible.

“It’s been really good,” the 44-year-old—whose The Kelly Clarkson Show finished its last season in August—said of her extra time with her children. “We’re having fun; we’re cooking, we’re playing games. I’m there at pickup or I’m there dropping off.”

Plus, after moving her family to New York City in the fall of 2023 when her talk show moved coasts, the “Breakaway” singer is loving life on the East Coast. 

“It’s real different, but it’s a beautiful city to raise kiddos in,” Clarkson, who was born in Texas, added. “Because I wasn’t really exposed to different cultures, I wasn’t really exposed to anything like that.”

And though she noted she loves where she grew up—joking she “turned out alright”—she’s enjoying exposing her kids to everything such a big city has to offer. 

As she put it, “It’s a cool thing for them to have just every color of the rainbow, every color of personality—everything. It’s awesome.”

But this is not the first time Clarkson has gotten candid about the way her priorities shifted following Blackstock’s death. In fact, it’s part of what drew her towards ending her talk show.

“Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now,” she told Today in February. “It’s one of those things—you start seeing life as how precious it is, too.”

“There’s just too much on the plate,” she explained, “so I was like, ‘You know what? It’s time to pull back.’”

But while Clarkson’s kids are her No. 1 priority right now, there are many singers who are happily coupled up right now. Read on for more.