Though she’s still finalizing her divorce from estranged husband/talent manager Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson already is making strides toward a fresh residential start. As was first reported by the L.A. Times, records reveal the pop music superstar-turned-talk show host has picked up a Colonial-style compound in L.A.’s leafy Toluca Lake enclave for $5.4 million. The seller was prominent fintech entrepreneur Douglas Merrill, who acquired the property in 2018 for $4.9 million.
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s massive Encino marital mansion remains up for sale at $8.9 million, a slim sliver above the $8.5 million she paid for the place in 2018. And the songstress has finally sold her lakefront mega-mansion in Hendersonville, Tenn., about 45 minutes outside Nashville, for $6.3 million after four years on the market and multiple price chops. For now, however, Clarkson is still hanging onto her Montana ranch and another rural Tennessee home.
As for Clarkson’s brand-new L.A. digs, the white-shingled estate rests on a one-acre parcel of land tucked securely behind gates and towering trees. Originally built in 1936, the property was revamped in 2018 and now offers a combined 5,000 square feet of living space spread across a main home and a guesthouse.
Inside the primary structure, a grand foyer opens to a formal living room with a fireplace and French doors. Highlights include an updated kitchen with brick floors, Carrara marble countertops and backsplash, high-end appliances, a center island and light-filled octagonal breakfast nook. There’s also a formal dining room with access to a courtyard patio, great room, library and sunroom sporting a vivid yellow fireplace.
A master retreat comes outfitted with a brick fireplace, beverage bar, an office/gym, and a spa-like bath accented with jade tile. There are four additional ensuite bedrooms in the main house, plus a separate guesthouse with one bedroom, one bath, and a kitchenette.
Particularly enticing are the lushly landscaped grounds, where you’ll find a lighted north-south tennis court, pavilion, garden, gazebo, and sparkling pool and spa. Topping it all off: a three-car garage and an expansive brick motorcourt with a vintage fountain.
Clarkson, 39, was born in Texas and rose to fame after becoming the inaugural winner of “American Idol” in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debut single, “A Moment Like This,” also topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the best-selling single in the nation. Today, the Grammy-winning singer also serves as a coach on “The Voice,” has her own talk show — “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which will take over Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show slot in 2022 — and recently released a new single titled “I Dare You,” which she recorded with five other artists in six languages.
