The Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play Drama, Explained
Kelly Clarkson has been largely known for her bubbly personality since she first graced the screen on American Idol. Apparently, though, you shouldn’t cross the musician and talk show queen. Kelly Clarkson recently took to social media to call out Art of Play, a toy and magic shop in Brooklyn, claiming she was treated poorly. The anecdote has gone viral, and everyone is talking about it. Here is what reportedly went down.
Kelly Clarkson had a ‘Pretty Woman’ moment at Art of Play
Kelly Clarkson did not like the way she was treated at Art of Play. According to Clarkson, she visited the small toy and magic shop on Saturday and saw a singing bird automaton that she was hoping to add to her own collection. She inquired about the piece, but claims a staffer acted as if she couldn’t possibly afford the $15,000 price tag.
The experience bothered Clarkson so much that she took to X (formerly Twitter) to encourage her 8.8 million followers to “go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman.” The reference was to the classic scene in which shop clerks snub Roberts’ Vivian before she returns, arms full of bags from other stores, to tell them they made a big mistake.
The post went viral, and Clarkson’s fans quickly flooded the shop with negative reviews and angry comments. The backlash was so swift that the shop’s owner has been trying to do damage control ever since, but Clarkson is not letting it go.
The store’s side of the story
One day after Kelly Clarkson’s viral tweet, Art of Play posted a lengthy statement on Instagram. Their story is markedly different from the one Clarkson told. In their statement, the store said the bird Clarkson saw is a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing automaton that staff use in magic shows that was never actually for sale. They claim the $15,000 price tag she was referring to was for a different bird automaton that an artist owns and would possibly be willing to part with.
Clarkson’s allegations that she was pushed towards cheaper goods were explained away, too. The statement alleges that they offered to show her a cheaper option simply because they had it in the shop, not because they believed the $15,000 price tag was too steep for her. While the shop spent much of its statement defending its staff, the statement did acknowledge that the experience Clarkson described would be hurtful. Still, they didn’t admit it happened that way.
Kelly Clarkson lashed out again
While Art of Play tried to explain the Kelly Clarkson issue as they saw it, she refused to back down. Following the release of their statement, Clarkson returned to X to call out the store again. This time, she accused them of being rude and of lying about whether the bird in question was actually for sale or not.
She called out the store’s explanation directly, writing: “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.”
Early Monday, Art of Play posted another statement, thanking its community for its support and welcoming the many people who had found the shop through the drama. The shop owner claims to hope they can “clear things up with Kelly someday.”
Regular customers have rallied behind the shop, describing it as a welcoming place full of kind staff. Online, the debate rages on. Some fans believe Clarkson was genuinely disrespected, while others think she misread the interaction. Other people are questioning whether a celebrity with millions of followers should have named a small business at all, regardless of how the interaction went.
