Kelly Clarkson says female friendships helped her during divorce

Kelly Clarkson is sharing how female friendships and music have been essential for her following her divorce from her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

On Monday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the musician, 40, spoke with the Chicks about needing to lean on friends after a difficult breakup.

“OK, so we all went through divorces,” said Clarkson, who was married to Blackstock from 2013 to 2021.

She then asked the legendary country music trio, “How did you each find strength in not just music but, like, your female friendships? I feel like that has really helped me.”

Martie Maguire, 52, recalled being in a studio in Nashville when Natalie Maines first revealed to the group that she was getting a divorce.

Maines, 47, chimed in and joked, “Which time was this?”

Maguire replied that she was referring to Maines’ first marriage with ex-husband Michael Tarabay, which lasted from 1997 to 1999.

“I remember thinking, ‘Well, I’m getting a divorce. Now she says she’s getting a divorce. Now I can’t say I’m getting a divorce,’” Maguire explained.

At the time, Maguire had not shared with the group that she planned to end her marriage to ex-husband Ted Seidel, whom she was married to from 1995 to 1999.

Maguire said, “I was feeling like everybody was going to judge me because I thought I was first getting the divorce.”

The two bandmates bonded over their shared experiences.

Maines quipped, “So I was like, ‘Guys, I’m getting a divorce.’ And Martie’s like, ‘I’m having a horrible marriage!’”

The trio and Clarkson laughed before Maguire patted Maines on the shoulder and added, “It was great because I didn’t know anybody close to me that was getting a divorce, so I was so happy for you.”

Maines cheered that they are all now “divorce buddies.”

Earlier in the interview, Clarkson also discussed with the Chicks how writing about relationships in music can be “therapeutic.”

The Chicks will kick off their next tour on June 14 which features songs from their last album “Gaslighter.” Multiple tracks on the 2020 album, such as “Tights on My Boat” and “Sleep at Night” include details about Maines’ relationship with her ex-husband Adrian Pasdar.

Clarkson wondered if it was difficult for Maines to be so open about her marriage struggles knowing that she would be “under a microscope.”

Maines said, “I definitely wanted to be very blatant and literal with this one. I wasn’t beyond all the emotion like I am now.”

She continued, “And then there’s the stress of like ‘Oh my gosh, now my kids are going to hear this.’ Now, my son is on tour with us. He’s in the band. I’m like, ‘This is kind of weird.’”

Clarkson agreed that it could be awkward before pointing out, “I love the fact that he’s an artist, so he does get the fact that it’s very therapeutic for us. That’s our outlet.”

Emily Robinson, 49, said, “There’s no way around it. When you write falsely, it doesn’t work.”

The “Because of You” singer mentioned that it is sad so many people can relate to heartbreaking songs.

In 2020, Clarkson filed paperwork to legally split from her ex-husband.

She has previously opened up about how she struggled during the divorce.

“My life has been a little bit of a dumpster ... personally, it’s been a little hard the last couple months,” she told Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY in September 2020.

During an episode of her show a few months later, she told author Glennon Doyle that experiencing the public fallout after a separation was “horrible.”

“There are so many hard parts. The hardest for me is the kids. That’s the hardest for me,” she said in December 2020.

Clarkson and Blackstock share two children; 7-year-old River Rose and 6-year-old Remington Alexander.

In March, Clarkson and the talent manager reached a settlement in their divorce.

TODAY obtained court documents that revealed Clarkson had to pay her ex a one-time payment of $1,326,161 in addition to monthly payments of $115,000 in spousal support until Jan. 31, 2024. She also is required to pay $45,601 monthly for child support.