Kelly Clarkson’s $15K Bird Feud Gets Ugly As Brooklyn Shop Fires Back

Kelly Clarkson went shopping in Brooklyn over the weekend, but her visit to Art of Play didn’t go as planned. The Voice coach says an employee made her feel as though she couldn’t afford a $15,000 mechanical songbird. Now the shop has responded, and Kelly isn’t backing down. Read on for more details.

The Drama

The American Idol alum kept things fairly vague at first when posting on X over the weekend. She mentioned driving all the way out to Brooklyn Heights to check out a novelty shop called Art of Play, only to be judged by an employee for her casual clothes.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Kelly Clarkson was upset by how she was treated, noting she “had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it.” She added that a clerk condescendingly offered to find her “something comparable” instead.

The Shop Defends Itself

Art of Play wasn’t about to let the matter slide. The retailer responded on Instagram, saying the mechanical bird wasn’t actually for sale.

Gulf News noted the shop explained the object was “‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton” permanently mounted on the wall for magic shows.

The store added: “At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store.”

They concluded by noting they hoped to “clear things up with Kelly someday.”

Kelly Fires Back

That reconciliation isn’t looking likely in the immediate future. Taking to X, the star on The Voice doubled down on Sunday.

As reported by QNC News, Kelly Clarkson accused the shop of backing away from what really happened. Kelly Clarkson wrote:

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.

She went on, saying, “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.'”

She also shared a photo of a price tag and added, “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.”

She made sure to defend her attitude toward independent retailers. “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,” she wrote, ending her post with: “Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”

Sometimes a $15,000 toy bird is just a toy bird, but on the internet, it becomes a multi-day main event.

Fans Sound Off

Reaction to the feud was split right down the middle, with plenty of people calling out the The Voice personality for blasting a boutique.

One person wrote, “Kelly, stop. Why are you so fragile? You didn’t have a good experience at the store, it happens. This isn’t all that serious, move on with your life.”

Here are a few more responses from the discussion on X:

• “You’re missing the point. A salesperson was rude to you. It happens. Don’t go back, but don’t use your celebrity status to condemn an entire small business. Thats cringe AF.”
• “I don’t think using your platform to destroy them is the way to go about it. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe not. But your first reaction bring to jump on social media and attack them, likely ruining other people’s livelihoods who had nothing to do with it is gross.”
• “I was connected to your headset and heard your words and behavior towards your staff. I would love to come on your show and talk about how you treat people when you think no one is listening.”
• “Who cares if they treated you poorly, you literally live a better lifestyle than MOST Americans, and you think people genuinely give a shit because a shop treated you like a normal person?”

What are your thoughts on Kelly Clarkson calling out the Brooklyn shop online over the mechanical bird? Join the discussion and then come back for more celebrity and TV news and updates.