Kelly Clarkson’s then-husband allegedly told the Grammy award-winning singer she didn’t have enough sex appeal to be a coach on “The Voice” — and that NBC executives instead wanted “someone sexy” such as Rihanna.
Clarkson, 41, made the claim last year to a California labor commissioner, who eventually ruled in favor of the singer and ordered her now-ex and former manager, Brandon Blackstock, 47, to pay her $2.6 million for unlawfully procuring deals that should have been handled by her talent agents.
The “Since You’ve Been Gone” singer testified she told Blackstock for years that she wanted to be on “The Voice” but that he advised her network executives were not interested because they were “looking for a more sex symbol type” such as Rihanna, according to court documents viewed by The Post.
Clarkson eventually joined the show as a coach in 2018, the talent competition’s 14th season.
The singer also testified that her now-former husband allegedly told her NBC “had to have someone that was black. … They had to have a diverse thing” and that she and singer Blake Shelton — who already was a coach on the show — “were too similar.”
When asked by her lawyer Ed McPherson how she was able to recall the specific conversation, Clarkson responded, “Well, a wife doesn’t forget a time she gets told she’s not a sex symbol, so that stays.”
Kelly Clarkson says she was told by her then-manager and husband that she wasn’t sexy enough to coach on “The Voice.”Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images
Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson arrive at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., in January 2020, just months before she filed for divorce.WireImage
Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage.
The former couple finally settled their divorce in March 2022, after a bitter battle over custody of their 9-year-old daughter, River Rose, their 7-year-old son, Remington “Remy” Alexander, and their shared Montana ranch.
Before the marriage imploded, Blackstock did approach NBC executives in May 2017 with an offer and information they couldn’t refuse: sign Clarkson on “The Voice” or risk losing her to their primetime competition “American Idol.”
Blackstock testified he was coached in 2017 by two music agents from Creative Artists Agency to pressure NBC executives and tell them Clarkson was already in talks with ABC to become a judge on “American Idol,” where Clarkson first got her fame.
Happier times: The couple arrives at the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 28, 2018 in New York City.WireImage
Blackstock testified that he and the two CAA music agents — Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin — were at the NBCUniversal Studios lot in Hollywood where “The Voice” was being taped in May 2017 to meet with then-former NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy.
Blackstock said the agents told him it would be better for him to approach Telegdy rather than them because the NBC executive allegedly didn’t like dealing with agents.
“Critically and consistent with their negotiation strategy, Blackstock informed Telegdy that American Idol would be submitting an offer to Clarkson,” wrote Blackstock’s lawyers, Bryan Freedman and Jesse Kaplan, in a court document viewed by The Post.
“In response, Telegdy asked Blackstock, ‘What would it take [to sign Clarkson to ‘The Voice]?’ “
Rihanna was allegedly being considered for a spot as a coach on “The Voice” because NBC wanted someone sexy like her.Getty Images
Blackstock told Telegdy that it would be “somewhere around Blake [Shelton] money.”
Blackstock, who also managed Shelton, had access to the country singer’s contracts for “The Voice,” according to the court documents.
Blackstock claimed Telegdy made the multimillion-dollar offer after a second call and said, “Will that do it?” to which Blackstock answered yes.
“Shortly there after, Blackstock called Clarkson to tell her the news,” Blackstock’s lawyers wrote. “Clarkson was very excited.”
NBCUniversal cut ties with Telegdy in August 2020 after a Hollywood Reporter investigation uncovered allegations that the former entertainment chairman engaged in racist, sexist and racist behavior. Telegdy has denied any wrongdoing.
The former NBCUniversal executive did not testify in the labor-board hearing involving Clarkson and Blackstock and his management company.
(From left) Meredith Ahr, president of Alternative & Reality Group for NBC Entertainment, Paul Telegdy, former chairman NBC Entertainment, and actress Amy Poehler appear together during an NBCUniversal press tour Jan. 11, 2020.NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
While Eaton and Roskin were not called to testify in front of the California labor commissioner, Cat Carson — a veteran CAA agent who exclusively deals with alternative TV programming — testified she asked over and over to be involved with negotiations for Clarkson’s contract for “The Voice” but was blocked by Blackstock.
“I repeatedly had asked from the beginning stages of ‘The Voice’ negotiation calls that I wanted to join, and Brandon said he wanted to do solo, and this was the same instance, he wanted to talk to Paul directly, and he wanted to talk to Lee Straus [then-NBC business affairs executive vice president of NBC’s alternative programming] directly,” Carson testified.
She added she didn’t tell Blackstock that CAA didn’t want him calling the NBC executives because “he’s my client’s husband, and I thought that’s what the client wanted.”
Carson also testified it was unusual for Roskin and Eaton, who typically dealt with music touring, to get involved with television deals because that was her job and expertise as Clarkson’s agent.
(From left) Chance the Rapper, Niall Horan, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton promote a “blind auditions” episode of “The Voice.”Evans Vestal Ward/NBC via Getty Images
Kelly Clarkson and then-hubby Brandon Blackstock pose with family at the STX Films World Premiere Of “UglyDolls” in Los Angeles in April 2019.WireImage
Meanwhile, the singer testified she didn’t know there was an offer from “The Voice” until after her ex brokered the deal himself.
Clarkson testified Blackstock “mentioned that he got ‘The Voice’ for her multiple times” and “he was proud of it.” She also testified she was unaware until the trial that CAA only received 5% instead of the standard 10% agents commission fee because Blackstock allegedly pocketed the rest of the money.
“In fairness to Mr. Blackstock, I stayed out of the money part,” Clarkson said on the stand. “I never was a part of the business conversations. I was always a part of creative. But no, that’s the first time I heard about any of that.”
McPherson said in court documents that Blackstock repeatedly lied on the stand and the CAA agents did not solicit the former manager’s help to broker any deals for Clarkson.
The lawyer claimed there were no records that Eaton and Roskin were even at the NBC lot that day Blackstock had the phone conversations with the NBC executives.
Clarkson hosts the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony in November in Manhattan.Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
McPherson said regardless of whether Blackstock was “coached” by the CAA music agents, he brokered “The Voice” deal and other business pacts for his former wife unlawfully because he is not a licensed agent.
“Mr. Blackstock’s story, particularly with respect to ‘The Voice,’ changed several times during the week of the hearing, sometimes because concrete proof of contrary facts were shown, and other times for no apparent reason,” McPherson wrote in a court document.
“If there is one theme throughout this case, it is that Brandon Blackstock is not a credible witness, on almost every issue.”
The California labor commissioner agreed and ruled in November that Blackstock overcharged his former wife by $2,641,374 when he illegally booked not only “The Voice” deal, but also her TV appearances for Norwegian Cruise Lines, Wayfair and the Billboard Music Awards.
Blackstock has since filed an appeal on that decision.
The Post has reached out to both Clarkson’s and Blackstock’s attorneys for comment.