“I’m still Kelly Clarkson.”
You know Kelly Clarkson — or, if we’re getting all “what appears on your birth certificate” with it, Kelly Brianne Clarkson.
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Earlier this year, the singer and talk show host legally changed her name to Kelly Brianne — effectively making her middle name her last name.
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At the time, Kelly said that the reason for the name change was that it “more fully reflects who I am” — but it turns out that wasn’t the whole story.
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In an interview for People (The TV Show!), Kelly explained that the name change resulted from her divorce from former husband Brandon Blackstock.
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“I just got divorced, so I had to drop my married last name,” she explained.
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Kelly went on to explain that the reason she legally changed her name to Kelly Brianne was “for my personal life” — so if you’re still calling her Kelly Clarkson, you’re in the clear.
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“I’m still Kelly Clarkson,” she declared before joking, “I don’t think I can change Clarkson at this point. I’m 20 years in!”
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Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/larryfitzmaurice/kelly-clarkson-name-change-explained