New security footage of Kelly Clarkson’s visit to a Brooklyn novelty store has put a viral spat back in the spotlight. Independent journalist Pablo Torre released the video on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and it shows Clarkson in the shop for less than five minutes before she posted her complaint on X, according to Variety.
What did Kelly Clarkson say about Art of Play?
On Oct. 10, Clarkson wrote on X that she drove to Brooklyn to check out the store and “literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,” per People. She added: “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.” She also told followers to visit if they enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in “Pretty Woman.” The item in question was Molly, a $15,000 bird automaton.
How did Art of Play respond?
The store said in a statement that Molly is “permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” and that a nearly identical automaton owned by its creator could be bought for $15,000, according to People. It said it also offered a different automaton for $2,000. Clarkson answered on Instagram Stories with a photo of a $15,000 price tag on Molly. People reports the store later said it had raised Molly’s price to $15 million.
Store owner Adam Rubin told Inside Edition the shop has been review-bombed and that staff and nearby businesses have been harassed, Variety reports. He said the shop was crowded and Clarkson “was dressed like everybody else.”
What does the Kelly Clarkson footage show?
People describes a 4-minute, 50-second clip with no audio. Clarkson picks up what looks like a kaleidoscope, stops at the bird, and talks briefly with an employee Torre identified as one of the owners. He points elsewhere, and she moves on. She later turns back toward the owner and gestures as she leaves, then takes out her phone outside. Per Torre’s footage, her first X post went up 15 minutes after she left, both outlets report.
Variety notes that the video has no sound, so it cannot show what was said or what the employee pointed at. Fans are split, and neither side has been confirmed by the footage alone. We are reporting what each outlet prints and are not taking a side.
For more on Clarkson, see our report on The Voice Season 30 battles. Also read Justin Baldoni’s Dancing With the Stars appearance.
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Sources: Variety, People. By Kasim Pathan. Published Oct. 14, 2026. The featured image is an editorial cartoon, not a photograph.
