Reba McEntire Was the Stepmother of Kelly Clarkson's Husband, Brandon Blackstock — Does She Have Other Children?

Following the news that Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, a former talent manager, had died at just 48 years old, many wanted to better understand not just his relationship with Kelly but also his apparent connection to Reba McEntire. The sitcom star and singer was seen around Brandon regularly, but is he one of her children?

Reba's family life is a little bit complicated, but there's plenty we know about her relationship with Brandon. Here are all the details we have.

Reba McEntire has one child and three stepchildren. For more than 20 years, she was married to Narvel Blackstock, a talent manager who manages artists like Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, in addition to Reba herself. The two got married in 1989, and she gave birth to Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock in 1990. In addition to Shelby, though, Narvel had three children from a previous marriage to Elisa Gilbert, including Brandon.

Reba and Narvel had their divorce finalized in 2015, but she remained close to her stepchildren and to the Blackstock family more generally.

“Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other,” a statement announcing their divorce read at the time. “They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so. They have asked that you respect their privacy during this time.”

In a 2018 interview, she referred to her stepchildren's children as her grandchildren.

“I don’t ever see the grandkids,” McEntire said in an interview with People. “It was a lot better when everybody was not so busy, but I’ve got seven grandchildren, so they’re scattered all over the country and busy doing stuff. But I love them.”

Reba has also spoken about her relationship with Brandon, in particular, reaffirming her support for him following the news that he and Kelly were getting divorced.

“Brandon’s been my son forever, it seems,” she said in 2021. “Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total — my blood, so I’m praying for them both because I love them both.”

Clearly, then, Reba and Brandon were close prior to his death, and the two of them had been in each other's lives for decades. Brandon was 48 at the time of his death, and he likely met Reba when he was a teenager.

During an interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Kelly said that her relationship with Reba had not been affected by her divorce from Brandon.

“No, not at all. No, I mean we were friends before Brandon and I even got together,” she said. “We text each other all the time. I think we’re both women of sound mind that know that life doesn’t work out sometimes. She would know best. Literally the same thing. So yeah, no hard feelings there. Just feelings.”

Now, both Kelly and Reba are in mourning following Brandon's death. Although Kelly and Brandon were no longer together, they were still raising their children together, and Kelly canceled her Las Vegas residency to be with them prior to his death.