Kelly Clarkson, 39, is one of the biggest household names but that hasn’t stopped her from going through with legally changing her name. The American Idol star has dropped her last name, as confirmed in docs obtained by Page Six. “There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted,” the docs read. “The Decree is signed and filed. The Petitioner’s name is changed from KELLY BRIANNE CLARKSON to KELLY BRIANNE.”
Kelly first revealed her plans to change her name in February. In court doc, she shared that she felt the “new name more fully reflects who I am,” per Us Weekly. Even though her legal name is Kelly Brianne, she recently implied that she may still go by Kelly Clarkson, at least as her stage name.
“I just got divorced, so I had to drop my married last name,” Kelly said at the L.A. premiere of her and Snoop Dogg‘s new show, American Song Contest. “I just kept my middle name for my personal life. I’m still Kelly Clarkson. I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point. I’m 20 years in!” So it seems Kelly Clarkson, as Steve Carell’s character in 40 Year Old Virgin infamously screamed, will keeping her title– at least in the public eye.
Kelly’s name change comes soon after she recently settled her divorce from Brandon Blackstock. The two went back and forth on the terms but Kelly eventually agreed to share five-percent of her Montana ranch with her ex-husband. While that may not seem like a lot, he ended up walking away with a hefty $908,800. On top of that, she had been ordered to pay $150,000 per month in spousal support and an additional $45,601 per month to “benefit” their children.
Since her divorce, the “Miss Independent” singer has been living the single life. And she doesn’t plan on throwing herself into the dating pool anytime soon, a source EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife. “Kelly’s friends have been such a huge support system during her divorce from Brandon. All they want is for her to be happy,” the source said. “They’ve been encouraging Kelly to test the waters and try the dating scene again. Kelly has given this a lot of thought, but she’s the type of person who gives a lot of love and she knows that she deserves someone who will treat her like the incredible woman that she is.”