Country music legeng Reba McEntire shared what was meant to be a touching tribute to her late former stepson, Brandon Blackstock. Instead, fans of his ex-wife, Kelly Clarkson, have chosen to reopen old wounds from their messy and expensive divorce — dredging up infidelity rumors from their nearly decade-long marriage.
What was meant as a moment of mourning may have unintentionally added salt to Clarkson’s grieving journey as fans revisited the couple’s painful past, including another woman.
Brandon Blackstock died from malignant melanoma on Aug. 7 at age 48. His stepmother, Reba McEntire, married his father, Narvel Blackstock, in 1989. When their marriage ended in 2015, Narvel reportedly walked away with a $48 million settlement, according to Hello! Magazine. The payout drew familiar comparisons to other high-profile splits — where women with high-earning women in Hollywood often end up footing the bill for their exes.
Years later, Kelly Clarkson found herself in a similar position — paying Brandon a one-time settlement of more than $1.3 million, plus monthly child support of $45,601 and spousal support of $115,000 until January 2024.
People caught up with McEntire to get her thoughts on losing Brandon less than three months ago.
“I absolutely loved that child. He came into my life, I guess he was 4 years old. Then, when Narvel and I got married, he was 13, 14,” the Grammy Award winner recalled.
She added, “Brandon is sorely missed, truly missed with his mischievousness and his love of life. He brought joy to everybody that met him, and we’ll never forget him.”
Days after his passing on Aug. 12, the star of the 2000s-era “Reba” sitcom paid tribute to Brandon on her Instagram page with a heartfelt caption where she expressed being “thankful” for the time she had with him.
Blackstock and Clarkson were married for nearly a decade before separating in 2022. In addition to being her husband, he also served as Clarkson’s talent manager during their marriage. Following his passing, his new relationship had come to light, adding another layer of intrigue to this unfolding story.
As McEntire memorialized her deceased loved one, some cynical people on the internet chose to focus on Brandon’s rumored infidelity while still married to “The Kelly Clarkson Show” host.
“Yeah, well, I think his ex-wife, whom he cheated on, would beg to differ,” an Instagram user posted in response to McEntire’s complimentary comment about Brandon.
Another person on the social media platform replied, “Let it go.” Meanwhile, a third commenter wrote, “He was an a– to Kelly Clarkson. So in my words, he wasn’t a nice guy.”
A fourth said, “He was also a thief just like his Daddy.” Like Clarkson and her ex-husband, Narvel previously served as McEntire’s manager. In the divorce, he reportedly walked away with $47.5 million, while she learned a hard lesson about her finances.
McEntire got more support on the People website. A comment read, “Thank you, Reba, for sharing moments about your son Brandon, who recently passed. You two seemed very close.”
Fans are stunned after news broke in August 2025 that Brandon allegedly had an affair with Brittney Marie Jones, Clarkson’s former assistant. Jones’ now-ex-husband, Greg LaPoint, supposedly learned about the alleged adultery in 2023.
“He got screwed over due to [Jones and Blackstock’s] fling starting during his marriage,” an anonymous source told Page Six about LaPoint’s discovery of the affair. Jones and LaPoint finalized their own divorce by February 2024.
Brandon supposedly being unfaithful to his wife eventually led to him escalating his romance with Jones to an official relationship status prior to succumbing to cancer.
A portion of the former music business insider’s public obituary highlighted his personal and professional connection to Jones during their last days together.
Jones worked for Clarkson for over four years, starting as a production assistant in December 2016, overseeing touring activities, managing travel details for TV and radio appearances, dressing room setup, and meet-and-greets.
She was promoted to executive management assistant for Starstruck Entertainment in 2018, worked closely with both Clarkson and Blackstock. Fast forward to 2020, she resigned the exact year Clarkson filed for divorce.
Jones was referred to as Brandon’s “beautiful and loving partner in life and business” in the obitutrary. The pair joined forces to create Headwaters Livestock Auction and The Valley View Rodeo in Montana.
The obit also acknowledged the Texas-born businessman’s four kids, including a daughter, River Rose, 11, and a son, Remington “Remy” Alexander, 9, whom he shared with Clarkson. Brandon also has older kids, daughter, Savannah, and oldest son, Seth, whom he shares with his first ex-wife, Melissa Ashworth.
Clarkson is the mother of Brandon’s second daughter, River, and second son, Remy. The “American Idol” season one winner was awarded primary physical custody of the children. Brandon had shared joint legal custody before he passed away.
