An online war of words broke out between Grammy Award-winning singer Kelly Clarkson and a New York City store.
Clarkson, 44, gave an unsolicited rant about her Oct. 10 visit to Brooklyn’s Art of Play that sent social media into a spiral.
The former “American Idol” singer said an employee at Dan and Dave Buck’s shop treated her as if she couldn’t afford one of its “really rad” items.
Clarkson compared the experience to a famous scene from the classic 1990 rom-com film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” she tweeted. “But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in ‘Pretty Woman.'”
Clarkson’s message garnered over 265,000 likes and 44 million views on X.
Art of Play fired back the following day on Instagram. The store owner claimed Clarkson wanted to buy a “one-of-a-kind” singing and dancing bird automaton that was not for sale.
As the story gained traction online, outrage directed at Art of Play apparently swelled.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store,” read Art of Play’s caption.
The statement concluded, “We’re going to keep our heads down, and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.'”
At that point, the back-and-forth intensified after the “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” singer fired back, adding more clarity about what happened.
Clarkson claimed she had a conversation with an Art of Play worker about buying “Molly,” which supposedly had a price tag attached.
Apparently, she was told “Molly” cost $15,000 and that the store could find “something comparable” for her, presumably at a lower price.
“That all never happened, and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So, you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” Clarkson wrote on Oct. 11.
She said, “I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business.”
The singer continued, delivering a final blow to the store owner that came in the form of advice. “It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
Art of Play responded again on Instagram. Their latest reply laid out more alleged details about the incident.
“We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines,” Art of Play stated.
The statement went on to claim that the “Molly” creator, a Seattle-based artist named Bliss Kolb, said he was willing to part with a “twin” item for $15,000. Clarkson was supposedly told this at the time of her visit.
Art of Play also claimed the store offered Clarkson a different $2,000 bird that was available for purchase that day.
However, the former daytime talk show host allegedly left the store in under five minutes without waiting to check out the alternative product.
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air. We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding,” Art of Play stated in closing.
Even though Art of Play attempted to downplay Clarkson’s complaints with their side of the story, social media users still sided with the “Thankful” vocalist.
One skeptic wrote, “You’ve made it seem like she’s throwing a tantrum for that exact bird. It’s highly unlikely this whole thing would’ve [begun] if she was told where and how she can get the bird.”
“Starting the statement off with ‘during the 5 min she spent in the store’ reeks of shade, lol. It’s like yall can’t help it!” said a second commenter.
Art of Play’s excuse that the shop recommended a similar bird to Clarkson fell flat when one person pointed out, “It can’t be ‘one of a kind’ and also have a twin.”
Another poster exclaimed, “Backtracking like crazy now!! Y’all need to get a PR specialist or something.”
Someone else suggested, “One, have you considered adding a ‘not for sale’ tag instead of a… price tag? Why have a price tag for an item that can’t be sold?”
What began as an A-list celebrity’s public grievance quickly turned into a public relations nightmare for the Brooklyn shop. The heat got so intense that the Yelp website temporarily disabled reviews for Art of Play.
Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
