Hollywood is messy. We all know that. But when it comes to the legal and personal saga of Kelly Clarkson’s divorce, the details have basically shifted from "unfortunate" to "wait, what just happened?" Most people focus on the $2.6 million legal victory or the moving of her show to New York. However, there is a specific person often mentioned in hushed tones or buried in court-adjacent documents: Brittney Marie Jones.
She isn't just a name on a payroll. She is the Kelly Clarkson ex assistant who ended up building a life with Kelly’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, in the years following their explosive split.
The Assistant Who Became a Partner
The story sounds like a plot from a daytime soap. Honestly, it’s hard to wrap your head around the timeline unless you look at the paper trail. Brittney Marie Jones started out as a production assistant for Kelly back in 2016. She was there in Nashville, working the daily grind of a superstar’s schedule.
By 2018, things shifted. She transitioned into a role as an executive management assistant for Brandon Blackstock. At the time, Brandon wasn’t just Kelly’s husband; he was her manager at Starstruck Entertainment. Brittney was essentially working for the family business. She handled Kelly’s day-to-day schedule while reporting to Brandon.
Then came 2020. That was the year the world stopped, and Kelly’s marriage ended.
What Really Happened in Montana?
When Kelly filed for divorce in June 2020, the public saw a standard "irreconcilable differences" filing. Behind the scenes, the professional ties were being severed too. Brittney Jones stopped being the assistant to the star and became the executive assistant for Brandon’s new venture, V Bar B Cattle Co. This was his ranch in Montana—the very ranch that became a major sticking point in the divorce settlement.
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Rumors have swirled for a long time. People love to speculate about when exactly the "professional" relationship became "personal."
The confirmation didn't come from a paparazzi shot or a leaked text. It came from an obituary. In August 2025, Brandon Blackstock passed away at the age of 48 after a private battle with melanoma. The obituary listed Brittney Marie Jones not as a former employee, but as his "beautiful and loving partner in life and business."
It’s a heavy realization. While Kelly was out here singing about "Kellyoke" and raising their two kids, River Rose and Remington, her former assistant was in Montana, "working tirelessly" alongside Brandon to build a livestock auction and a rodeo legacy.
The Lawsuit Overlap and "Illegal" Commissions
You can’t talk about the Kelly Clarkson ex assistant without mentioning the money. Kelly didn't just walk away from Brandon; she sued him. Or rather, his company, Starstruck Management, sued her first for unpaid commissions.
Kelly fired back with a petition to the California Labor Commissioner. Her argument was simple: Brandon and his team were acting as unlicensed talent agents. In California, that’s a big no-no. Managers manage; agents book. If you cross those lines without a license, you aren't entitled to your commission.
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- The Ruling: In late 2023, a labor commissioner ordered Brandon to return over $2.6 million.
- The Scope: This included commissions from The Voice, the Billboard Music Awards, and Wayfair deals.
- The Defense: Brandon’s team argued that Kelly’s actual agents at CAA were always involved, but the commissioner didn't buy it for several specific contracts.
Where does the assistant fit into this? Brittney was the one managing the "day-to-day artist schedule." She was the witness to how these deals were funneled. While there is no public record of her testifying against Kelly, her proximity to the business dealings during the most litigious years of Kelly's life is undeniable.
Toxic Workplace Claims: A Different Assistant Story
It’s important to distinguish between the "partner" assistant and the staff assistants. In 2023, Rolling Stone dropped a bombshell report about a toxic work environment at The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Eleven employees—mostly former assistants and lower-level staffers—spoke out. They described being overworked and underpaid. One person even said they had to take a leave of absence to see a psychiatrist for the first time because of the environment.
Here is the kicker: none of them blamed Kelly.
They all said the same thing. Kelly is "fantastic" and treats people with dignity. The blame was leveled at executive producers, specifically Alex Duda. Staffers felt Kelly was "shielded" from the reality of how the "little people" were treated. This matters because it shows a pattern in Kelly’s life—she trusts the people in charge of her world, sometimes to her own detriment. Whether it was the producers on her set or the assistant in her home, Kelly seems to lead with a "heart-first" approach that doesn't always account for the sharks in the water.
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Sorting Fact From Friction
There’s been some nasty gossip about Brittney Marie Jones. Some reports, like those in Page Six, alleged she was married to someone else when she started her "fling" with Brandon. Her ex-husband, Greg LaPoint, allegedly found out about the affair in 2023, leading to their own divorce in early 2024.
Is it true? Court documents show Greg filed for divorce, and the timeline of her moving to Montana does line up with the end of that marriage.
Kelly, for her part, has remained remarkably classy. Sources close to the singer say she "doesn't blame" Brittney. Her focus has always been the kids. If Brittney wasn't going to be a problem for River and Remy, Kelly wasn't going to start a public war. That's a level of maturity most of us probably wouldn't have if our ex started a life with our former employee on a ranch we paid for.
Why This Matters for You
If you’re following this because you love Kelly, or because you’re fascinated by the legalities of celebrity management, there are a few takeaways.
- Professional Boundaries: The shift from assistant to "partner in business and life" is a cautionary tale about the blurred lines in high-level celebrity management.
- Labor Laws: The $2.6 million ruling is a landmark for the Talent Agencies Act. It proves that even "oral contracts" and long-term family ties don't trump state licensing laws.
- The Human Element: Obits don't lie. The fact that Kelly was omitted from Brandon's obituary while the ex-assistant was featured prominently tells you everything you need to know about the state of their relationship at the end.
Kelly Clarkson has moved on. She’s in New York, her show is winning Emmys, and she’s leaner and seemingly happier. But the story of the Kelly Clarkson ex assistant serves as a permanent footnote in one of the most expensive and personal divorces in music history.
Keep an eye on the ongoing appeals regarding the Starstruck commissions. Even though Brandon has passed, his estate and Starstruck Management Group are still tied up in the legalities of those "unlawfully procured" deals. The final tally of what is owed back to Kelly might still change as the 2026 court calendar progresses.