Entertainment · Celebrity · 27 mins ago
Brooklyn shop raises singing bird's price to $15 million after Clarkson dispute
Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop Art of Play are at odds over a visit to the store.
Clarkson said she was treated as if she could not afford an item she wanted, comparing the experience to a scene in “Pretty Woman.”
The shop says she asked about Molly, its mechanical bird mascot, which it says is not for sale, and offered to show her other birds.
The bird's price has jumped from $15,000 to $15 million, according to co-owner Adam Rubin, who said the increase followed popular demand.
The dispute spread widely online after Clarkson posted about it, while the shop says it has received threats and online abuse.
The disagreement has brought national attention to the small Brooklyn store, along with visits and support from customers and others.
Rubin said he would welcome Clarkson back, but expects her to be treated like any other customer.
Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop Art of Play have disputed what happened when she asked about buying a mechanical singing bird named Molly.
Clarkson said she was treated as if she could not afford the bird, while the shop said Molly was not for sale and described a different offer.
The dispute spread on social media, and co-owner Adam Rubin said the shop received threats and hateful messages.
On Tuesday, October 13, the shop raised Molly’s price to $15 million from its original $15,000 listing.
Rubin said the shop treated Clarkson like any other customer; Clarkson’s representatives did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
- Who
- Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin are at the center of the dispute.
- What
- Clarkson said the shop treated her as if she could not afford Molly; the shop disputed her account. It later raised the bird’s price to $15 million.
- When
- Clarkson posted about the visit on Saturday, October 10. The shop raised the price on Tuesday, October 13.
- Where
- Art of Play, a shop in Brooklyn, New York.
- Why
- The dispute began over Clarkson’s account of asking to buy Molly and the shop’s account that the bird was not for sale.
Kelly Clarkson
Art of Play
What happened in the shop
Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson said she asked about Molly while pointing to a $15,000 price tag and was offered something comparable in a condescending way.
Art of Play
The shop said Molly was not for sale, but that its creator had a nearly identical automaton available for $15,000; it also said it offered to show her another bird.
Treatment of Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson said she was treated as if she could not afford the bird and called the shop rude and dishonest.
Art of Play
Rubin said Clarkson was treated like any other customer and that staff did not recognize her.
Clarkson posted on X that she had visited Art of Play and felt she was treated as if she could not afford an item.
Clarkson responded on X, disputing the shop’s account and calling it rude and dishonest.
Rubin told USA Today the shop had raised Molly’s price to $15 million from its original $15,000 listing.
Rubin told media outlets that the shop had received threats and hateful messages following the online dispute.
- Bird
- Molly, a mechanical singing bird and shop mascot
- Original listed price
- $15,000
- New price
- $15 million
- Shop
- Art of Play, Brooklyn
- Co-owner
- Adam Rubin
- Clarkson’s post
- Published on X on Saturday, October 10
8 sources
Kelly Clarkson vs. Art of Play: Footage Revealed of Singer’s Visit to Brooklyn Novelty Store She Slammed for ‘Pretty Woman’ Treatment
Kelly Clarkson 'has put us in danger,' Brooklyn store owner claims as bird's price tag soars to $15M
Art of Play co-owner says Kelly Clarkson's post was 'like she threw a Molotov cocktail at us'
Brooklyn store owner blasts Kelly Clarkson’s ‘reprehensible abuse of power’ after she ‘lit the fuse’ with social media rant
Brooklyn Store Details Kelly Clarkson Incident, Raises Price Of Molly To $15M
Brooklyn Store Raises Price of Bird Kelly Clarkson Wanted to Buy to $15M
‘Wow, dude. You’re an idiot’: why Kelly Clarkson is fighting over a $15,000 bird on social media
What people are saying
It's like she threw a Molotov cocktail at us
We didn’t know this was gonna happen, but Kelly Clarkson did, and she needs to be held accountable for her actions.
Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.
We’ve raised the price due to popular demand
Posts on X
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. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a
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 as you elevator eyed me