Kelly Clarkson grumbled about a co-parenting issue she has been facing with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. 

During her appearance on Kylie Kelce’s podcast Not Gonna Lie, Kelly, 42, and Kylie, 33, griped about how their children were more lenient towards their fathers’ busy schedules. 

When it came to their mothers, however, their kids did not grant them that same grace. 

In what appeared to be a cryptic jab towards her ex, she at one point said during her podcast appearance, ‘there’s a lot that I keep in… ’cause co-parenting is fun!’ 

Kelly is co-parenting daughter River Rose, 10, and son Remington Alexander, eight, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, 48, whom she split from in 2020 following seven years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2022, but a contentious legal battle stemming from their prior business relationship followed. 

Kelly gave a glimpse into her co-parenting relationship with Brandon as she grumbled over how their children gave their father more freedom in his work schedule, yet had different expectations for their mother. 

Kelly Clarkson made a cryptic swipe about her co-parenting arrangement with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock 

Kylie brought up the topic when she recalled how the eldest child she shares with husband Jason Kelce, four-year-old daughter Wyatt, gave her a hard time for leaving to New York City.

‘Our oldest just hit me with yesterday when I said I was leaving to come to New York… “Oh… you’re leaving because you don’t love me?” Kylie – who is expecting her fourth child with husband Jason – shared. ‘And I was like, “Great, cool.” You know that beach house that we get to have? Isn’t that fun?’ she added. 

Kylie reminded her daughter that Jason also travels during football season despite desiring to stay home – yet Wyatt was less forgiving when it came to her own mother.

Read More Kelly Clarkson fans all saying the same thing over her appearance after mystery talk show absence

‘I said, “You know when dad leaves and we talk about like, does dad want to leave?” And she’s like, “No.”‘ And I’m like, “So do you think mom wants to leave for work?” And she’s like, “Well, I just think you could say no.”‘

Kelly also noticed the same tendencies amongst her own children, whom she said offered their father more slack. 

She says her children picked up on this belief ‘innately’ and were not taught it.  

‘Isn’t it funny though how different it is? Even from a young age, we didn’t teach them, just innately you’re like… he’s allowed to be somewhere, but you’re not? That is like real interesting. Yeah, there’s a lot that I keep in,’ she said.

‘We got it,’ Kylie said.  

‘Cause co-parenting is fun!’ Kelly added. ‘It’s like, “Oh, he couldn’t come cause of this.” ‘I’m like, “Okay, cool. What! Do you think I just leave and just sit in the park all day?”‘

Clarkson has stressed to her son that it’s perfectly acceptable for mothers to work.  

Clarkson is co-parenting daughter River Rose, 10, and son Remington Alexander, eight, with ex-husband 

Clarkson griped over the issue on Kylie’s podcast, Not Gonna Lie

‘And my son, by the way, I’m always like, “Yeah, mommy does work and that’s okay.” Women and men work. It’s okay,’ she said. ‘And you’re gonna be fine. I was a latchkey kid and no one was there!… We’re fine.’

Meanwhile, Kelly has returned to her daytime talk show after a mysterious absence due to a ‘private matter’.

She sparked concern with a cryptic comment she made as she reappeared on the show last Thursday, which happened to be the 1,000th episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

She got candid after she made her return, and in celebration her milestone episode, she admitted she’s ‘lost, alone, a lot.’

During the taping, the Grammy-winning singer reflected on her journey since she debuted her show in September 2019 on NBC.

She did not address her recent absence but vaguely spoke about having gone through ‘a lot of ups and downs’ in the past during a heartfelt speech.

The duo griped over the unfairness of how they were expected to skip out on work obligations while their husbands were not 

She says her children picked up on this belief ‘innately’ and were not taught it

‘Welcome to the Kelly Clarkson Show and our 1,000th episode,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe today marks the 1,000th. It’s crazy.’

She continued: ‘We have met some hugely talented people, tons of big stars and inspiring everyday heroes.’

She gushed about how she, her team and her fans have ‘created a community and supported each other through a lot of ups and downs.’

Meanwhile, Kelly has returned to her daytime talk show after a mysterious absence due to a ‘private matter’

Seemingly referencing her own life and the ‘personal matter’ she has been dealing with lately, she jokingly added: ‘A lot of ups and downs personally as well.’

The Since U Been Gone singer reflected on hosting her show during the COVID-19 pandemic and taping episodes when she had various injuries over the years, including when she had ‘an eye patch and with my leg in a cast.’

Throughout all of the memories, she joked that she ‘still can’t cook.’

‘For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together,’ she said about the emotional moments.

‘I’ve lost, alone, a lot,’ she added, without any additional details nor clarification.

Clarkson pictured on her show last month

She may have been referring to her divorce as she and her ex-husband were married for nearly seven years before calling it quits in June 2020.

She sued Blackstock last year after accusing him of making unauthorized business deals on her behalf.

They settled their lawsuits over comissions in May 2024, ending a contentious legal battle that began after their divorce was finalized two years earlier.

In addition to the dissolution of her marriage and their legal disputes, she also embarked on a major weight loss journey in the past couple of years.