Kelly Clarkson and a local business are beefing on social media over a $15k bird — and neither is backing down
Kelly Clarkson and a local business are beefing on social media over a $15k bird — and neither is backing down
Carsen Holaday Mon, October 12, 2026 at 6:36 PM UTC
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Kelly Clarkson said she was told in a condescending tone that the bird cost $15,000 (Getty/Instagram)‘So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar,’ the singer said
Kelly Clarkson is feuding with a New York City shop over a beloved bird automaton named Molly. Yes, really.
Over the weekend, the 44-year-old “Breakaway” singer shared in an X post to her eight million followers that she had visited Brooklyn games store Art of Play and interacted with a “rude” sales associate in an experience she compared to a famous scene in Pretty Woman.
“Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” she wrote in the post. “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman.”
Following the criticism, Clarkson’s fans began to target Art of Play — described on its website as a “unique collection of home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books” that opened its flagship store in 2024 — in social media comments and online reviews. The backlash then prompted the store to refute the former talk show host’s story in a lengthy Instagram post.
“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,” the store shared in an Instagram post Sunday. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”
The statement went on to say that all visitors are welcome in the shop, adding, “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
Although the store reposted several messages of praise for the business from customers, its statement brought speculation to the store as social media users pointed out that pictures of the bird show a label next to the item that appears to list a price tag of $15,000.
Clarkson, who faced backlash for using her famous platform for her initial negative review, then doubled down and called the store a “liar” in a post shared on X as well as her Instagram Story.
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“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale,” she wrote Sunday night. “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, 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.”
Clarkson continued: “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,” she concluded.
In response, the Art of Play shared another post clarifying that Clarkson only spent five minutes in the store and that she had asked “about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly.”
“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, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle,” the store said. “He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson.”
The shop said that store assistants offered to show Clarkson a different singing bird that cost $2,000 and was made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, but “she did not stick around long enough to see it.”
“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,” the store concluded.
The Independent has reached out to Clarkson and the store for further comment.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
