Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop Art of Play feud over mechanical bird
Kelly Clarkson says staff at Art of Play, a shop in Brooklyn, treated her as if she could not afford a $15,000 mechanical bird. The shop says the bird, named Molly, is fixed to the wall and not for sale, and that it offered her other options. It has since put a $15 million price tag on Molly.
Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play, a novelty shop in Brooklyn, New York, are in a public feud over a singing and dancing mechanical bird, the BBC, NBC News and Billboard reported.
After a visit to the shop, Clarkson wrote on social media that she "was looked at as if I couldn't afford it," Billboard and the BBC reported. "Y'all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman," she wrote, according to Billboard and NBC News. In a later post, she said the shop had said the bird cost $15,000 and that it could find her something comparable, the BBC and NBC News reported.
The shop says the bird, named Molly, is permanently attached to the wall and not for sale, the BBC, NBC News and Billboard reported. It said Clarkson was in the store for five minutes, NBC News reported. It said an employee explained that the artist who made Molly would sell a nearly identical bird for $15,000, NBC News and Billboard reported. The shop said it also offered her a $2,000 bird she could take home that day, the BBC, NBC News and Billboard reported.
"I never blast people but you my friend were an exception," Clarkson wrote, according to the BBC. "Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by eight million people who have never visited our store," the shop said, the BBC reported.
Co-owner Adam Rubin said staff have faced threats. "Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," Rubin said, according to NBC News and Billboard. The shop has since listed Molly for $15 million, the BBC and NBC News reported. Rubin said he would give each employee a $15,000 bonus if the bird sold, NBC News reported.
Security video from the shop, obtained by Pablo Torre, has been released, Billboard and NBC News reported. It shows Clarkson pointing at the bird and later speaking with a cashier before she leaves, Billboard and the BBC reported. The video has no audio, Billboard and the BBC reported. Clarkson did not respond to requests for comment, NBC News reported.
What we know: Clarkson says she was treated as if she could not afford the bird, and the shop says it was never for sale.
What we don't: What was said in the store, since the security video has no sound.
Where outlets agree The BBC, NBC News and Billboard all report that Art of Play says Molly is attached to the wall and not for sale, and that it offered Clarkson a $2,000 bird.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.