"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
This opening line from the Leo Tolstoy novel Anna Karenina rings true across time. With no disrespect to the Russian author, it is also true that many families sink into unhappiness because of a common reason: the parents are separating.
As family law attorneys in Washington state who’ve handled numerous cases involving divorce, child custody, and support modification, we can confidently say that many of the causes of unhappiness of many celebrity couples are similar to non-celebrity couples. Celebs may have all the cash and the fame, but at the end of the day, they’re human too (save a few who are total weirdos).
Believe it or not, you might have something in common with Elon Musk and Grimes
Billionaire, Twitterer, and sometime-comedian Elon Musk has “semi-separated” from his partner, the musician, Communist Manifesto-reading Claire Boucher, better known as Grimes. They named their child “X Æ A-12”, which is unpronounceable but which we bet simply means “Dorothy. You’d think these two share no similar traits with normal human beings, but they do.
For example, the reasons for their split is a fairly common one: Mr. Musk’s work at his space firm requires him to be in Texas, while Grimes’s work requires her to be in California. They separated amicably and will continue to co-parent their baby. Under California laws, Grimes will be entitled to palimony or alimony for unmarried couples (FYI: palimony is not awarded in Washington state).
They may have a baby with the world’s most unpronounceable name, but take that and the billions away and it becomes apparent that they’re just like most co-parenting exes. Other couples have parted ways for much stranger reasons, and a couple breaking up because their work requires them to be in different states is hardly special.
Kelly Clarkson wants her ranch, and you would too if you were her
In June 2020, American Idol winner and talk show host Kelly Clarkson divorced her husband Brandon Blackstock, whom she was married to for seven years. They did not announce their divorce via a heartfelt joint Instagram announcement like many of their celebrity peers.
Their divorce was bitter, and it was made complicated by the fact that Blackstock was Kelly’s former manager. Kelly was only recently declared a single woman after a judge approved the filing of legal dissolution of marriage, officially declaring her single.
Kelly was originally ordered by the court to pay her ex $200,000 in monthly spousal and child support, but Blackstock demanded at least $436,000 a month. As the bigger earner, Kelly was not happy about that.
Not everyone can relate to Kelly’s struggles about having to pay enormous amounts of alimony and child support… maybe except the likes of Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen, and Brad Pitt. But many can relate to the feeling of getting the short end of the stick in a custody case decision.
The exes also appear to have fought bitterly in getting certain real estate properties. Fighting over vast amounts of wealth is not something the average person can relate to, but the average person can relate to wanting to get the property that their ex wants so badly.
Ultimately, Kelly won the much-contested Montana ranch and two other properties that, per Kelly’s prenuptial agreement, should remain her sole property in case they divorce. Kelly bought the properties in question and Blackstock seemed to want them for himself and claimed they should be considered marital property. But alas, the judge ruled in Kelly’s favor.
Kacey Musgraves was also a victim of pandemic-induced divorce
In her short music career, country-pop singer Kacey Musgraves has already won six Grammys, seven Country Music Awards, and countless other awards. She has sold over a million critically acclaimed albums and has starred in her own Christmas special. One may say she’s had some success.
When it comes to marriage, she was much less successful.
In July 2020, she filed for divorce from her husband Ruston Kelly after two years of marriage. Like many couples who have had time to think about the state of their relationship during a pandemic-driven lockdown, Kacey and her ex decided to part ways. Their split is just one of many cases of quarantine-driven divorces.
If there’s a silver lining in the divorce, it’s that she has millions of fans who would pay to listen to her odes to heartbreak. That’s something you can not say of that friend of yours who got divorced and drowned her sorrows in shots of tequila. But beyond her massive success, Grammys, Met Gala invitations, and friendships with supermodels, Kacey is just like any woman whose professional successes were completely divorced from her marital life.
People like Elon Musk, Kelly Clarkson, and Kacey Musgraves are famous. But when it comes to dealing with family law problems, they all share something in common with the common man: they need experienced family law attorneys to get favorable outcomes. Buckingham, LaGrandeur, & Williams are family law attorneys — call our offices in Renton, Seattle for your dissolution of marriage in Washington state.