More than 18 years after her win on American Idol, Kelly Clarkson’s net worth continues to grow thanks to her lasting music career and her involvement in another well-known talent show: The Voice, on which she was one of the highest-paid judges. But how much does she earn, exactly?

Well, it’s no secret that Clarkson is a big earner. However, ever since she filed for divorce from her estranged husband Brandon Blackstock in June 2020, fans have been wise to wonder if Kelly Clarkson’s net worth has changed. Clarkson and Blackstock, who had been married for nearly seven years at the time of their separation, knew each other even longer: Blackstock, a music manager, originally met Clarkson in 2006 at the American Music Awards. They got engaged six years later in 2012, and officially tied the knot in October 2013. The couple share two kids: daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander.

Things got messy soon after Clarkson filed for divorce from the music mogul. Blackstock, who also happened to be his estranged wife’s manager before their split, ultimately sued Clarkson for over  $1 million in unpaid commissions. Clarkson filed a petition after his lawsuit, claiming Blackstock and his company, Starstruck Management, “defrauded” her of millions more. A temporary divorce settlement was reached a year after their separation, which stated that Clarkson would pay a hefty sum to Blackstock in spousal and child support.

Given all these changes in Clarkson’s personal and professional life, it’s no wonder fans are curious to know if Clarkson’s net worth took a hit. For everything we know about Kelly Clarkson’s net worth in 2020, just keep on reading.

How much does Kelly Clarkson make on The Voice?

It should come as no surprise that much of Kelly Clarkson’s net worth today comes from her time on The Voice. Clarkson debuted as a coach on The Voice in 2014. As of September 2020, she’s starred on six seasons of The Voice (seasons 14 through 19) and won three times in seasons 14, 15 and 17.

According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly amid her divorce from Blackstock, Clarkson’s salary in 2021 sits at $1.9 million per month (or $22.8 million per year). This sum reportedly includes her salary for both The Voice and her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, and her role on The Voice. While this means Clarkson isn’t the highest-paid coach on The Voice (that goes to OG Blake Shelton), Kelly Clarkson’s net worth is still nothing to joke about.

How else does Kelly Clarkson make money?

Aside from her music career, Kelly Clarkson’s net worth also includes the money that she and Blackstock made from their real estate investments. In 2017, the couple made a hefty profit on their Hendersonville, Tennessee, mansion. They reportedly purchased the home for $2,860,000, but ended up listing it at $8,750,000 after years of added renovations, which netted them close to a $6 million profit. In May 2020, Clarkson went on to list her Encino, California home on the market for almost $10 million. The newly-built property is only two years old as of September 2020. Clarkson also has a home line with Wayfair.

In addition to her real estate, Kelly Clarkson’s net worth also includes the money she makes from her children’s books: 2016’s River Rose and the Magic Lullaby and 2017’s River Rose and the Magical Christmas. (The lead character is named after her daughter.) Clarkson has also voiced characters in several animated movies, including 2019’s UglyDolls and 2020’s Trolls World Tour. Of course, fans may also remember her from 2003’s From Justin to Kelly, which she starred in with her American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini. Kelly Clarkson’s net worth also includes the salary she makes from her Emmy-winning talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, which premiered in September 2019. At the time of its debut, Clarkson’s show was fourth in the ratings of daytime talk shows, a market that’s almost “impossible to succeed,” according to Bill Carroll, a media consultant with more than 30 years of experience analyzing syndicated programming for Katz Television Group.

“At a time where daytime programming on broadcast is competing with cable and streaming and on demand, this is a special and unique situation,” Carroll told CNN in 2019. “Clarkson being in fourth place [behind Ellen, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and Dr. Phil] is notable in the sense that the show has had a breakthrough.”

As for why she thinks her talk show has been such a success, Clarkson told CNN, “I think the world is craving stories with humor, heart and everyday heroes that they can relate to. I love hosting a show that is fun and inclusive…Whether you are a guest on the show or are an audience member watching, I want everyone to feel welcome and know they matter.”

What is Kelly Clarkson’s net worth in 2021?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kelly Clarkson’s net worth is $45 million as of 2021. This figure hasn’t been updated to reflect her spousal and child support payments to her ex-husband, however, so it’s possible her net worth looks a little different after all. Blackstock, on the other hand, is listed at a net worth of $10 million in comparison.

Though Kelly Clarkson’s net worth is sure to include her salary from The Voice and The Kelly Clarkson Show, as well as her children ‘s books and other sponsorships she’s done over the years, the bulk of her brand comes from her music career. As of July 2021, Clarkson has released eight albums: Thankful, Breakaway, My December, All I Ever Wanted, Stronger, Wrapped in Red, Piece by Piece, and Meaning of Life. Three albums have gone to number one, and most albums have been certified Platinum or higher.

In an interview with Marie Claire in 2018, Clarkson opened up about how her life has changed since American Idol. “I think I’m just really proud of the fact that it’s not one instance, from the beginning I’ve been doing that. Like even before Idol, when I lived out in L.A. and [I turned] things down that possibly could have ended up making money or having a record deal,” she said “Even when I was a little kid, I saw enough documentaries or biographies about people that regretted so much in the beginning because they did something they didn’t want to do, and I didn’t want that to be me. So I think I’m just proud of the fact that hasn’t ever changed in me.”

She continued, “In my whole career for like for 16 years now, they’re trying to get you to do stuff they think is going to win and I’m like look, if my ship sinks, that’s totally fine, but I want to be the one at the helm. I want to be the one steering the boat. It’s cool if it sinks and it doesn’t work out, but I don’t want it to sink [with] me relying and thinking somebody else is going to make something happen for me and compromise to a point to where it’s not me. You only get one life, right? Or that we know. And if we’re going to be back, I’d better be a man cause this female stuff is hard [laughs].”

Of course, Kelly Clarkson’s net worth today isn’t what it was 20-something years ago. In an interview with Guy Raz’s Spotify podcast in 2020, Clarkson also talked about how she had “nothing” before her audition on American Idol. “I had nothing to my name,” she said. “Literally, I had to make that top to go to this audition. I had like no clothes, no nothing.”

Clarkson also talked about how she decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a backup singer after turning down several music scholarships to colleges. “I worked at Six Flags — I did the singing and dancing, like all those shows. Any option that was available to make money singing, I was like, ‘OK.’” she said. “I had a lot of older friends that I watched go to college and just waste their time. … I knew that I’d rather go out and almost like an apprentice-style, just start doing background vocals for people and then just kind of work my way up. So I chose to move to L.A. randomly.

She continued, “If it’s the wrong decision, it’s fine. You can always go back to school. And even if I didn’t get a scholarship, I already had like four jobs. I hustled to make money because I had to for my car, gas.”

Before her time on American Idol, Clarkson worked several side gigs as a waitress and at fast food joints, such as Papa John’s and Subways. “I worked at a comedy club, I was a cocktail waitress at a comedy club. I’ve worked at a Papa John’s. I’ve worked at a Subway,” she said. “I did anything that paid. I made any job work. … Even now, when people are like, ‘I can’t find a job,’ I’m like, ‘Well, then, you’re not looking.’ Because if you’re hungry enough and you want electricity, you’ll work anywhere, and so I did.”

However, even after she made it onto American Idol, Clarkson was unsure if the show would be her big break. Though many credit Kelly Clarkson’s net worth to the reality show, the “Behind These Hazel Eyes” singer didn’t even know if anyone would vote for her. “Nobody knew if anyone was going to watch it,” Clarkson said. “[I thought] I’d at least make enough money to where I could … just get everything going again.”

The “Since U Been Gone” singer went on to tell the podcast host that it was her humble beginnings that pushed her to the success she has today. “I think when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose, so you walk in and you’re like what do I need to do to get this job? I think when you’re at the bottom, you’re vulnerable, you’re open and you’re willing — you’re not too cool for anything because you can’t afford to be. So I think that helped me, honestly,” Clarkson said.

Though Kelly Clarkson’s net worth is in the tens of millions today, that wasn’t always the case. Clarkson’s rise to superstardom is why she’ll forever be our American Idol.

 

from StyleCaster