Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn shop treated her as if she couldn't afford a $15,000 automaton; Art of Play says it was not for sale
Kelly Clarkson says an Art of Play employee in Brooklyn treated her as if she could not afford a mechanical bird. The shop says the bird was never for sale, and a co-owner says nothing happened to justify her criticism.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Clarkson's first post compared her visit to the scene in the 1990 film Pretty Woman in which Julia Roberts' character is snubbed at a boutique. In an Instagram statement on October 11, Art of Play described Molly as a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing automaton. It said the experience Clarkson described would resonate with anyone who has felt judged in a shop, and that the store had been attacked by 8 million people who have never visited it. NBC News noted that the statement did not directly address her claim about how the employee treated her. Clarkson posted again that evening.
The podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out later released about five minutes of surveillance footage with no audio. According to The National News Desk, it shows Clarkson speaking briefly with a man the podcast identified as one of the owners while pointing at the bird, moving to another part of the shop and later appearing to speak with an employee at the counter before leaving. Rubin told New York magazine's Curbed that the store had set a high price on Molly to ensure serious interest, and that staff had been threatened since Clarkson's posts. The shop then listed the bird at $15 million.
People in this case
Kelly ClarksonDirectly involved
Adam RubinDirectly involved
Timeline
5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: October 10, 2026 to October 14, 2026
October 2026
Clarkson posts that an Art of Play employee snubbed her
Claim
Clarkson writes on X that an employee at Art of Play in Brooklyn looked at her as if she could not afford what she wanted, and compares the visit to a scene in Pretty Woman.
[01]Kelly Clarkson
Post by Kelly Clarkson on X saying that an employee at Art of Play in Brooklyn looked at her as if she could not afford what she wanted, and comparing the visit to a scene in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store" · Kelly ClarksonFull postArt of Play says the bird was not for sale
Reaction
In an Instagram statement, Art of Play says Molly, the mechanical bird Clarkson asked about, was not for sale because it is used in the shop's magic shows.
[02]NBC News
NBC News report on Clarkson's first post, Art of Play's Instagram statement that the mechanical bird Molly was not for sale because it is used in the shop's magic shows, and Clarkson's second post. The article notes that NBC is Clarkson's network.
Clarkson says the shop's account is false
Reaction
Clarkson posts that the employee told her the bird was for sale for $15,000 and calls the shop's statement a lie.
[03]Kelly Clarkson
Second post by Clarkson on X, replying to Art of Play's statement that the mechanical bird she asked about was not for sale. She says an employee told her it cost $15,000 and offered to find something comparable.
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn't for sale." · Kelly ClarksonFull postCo-owner Adam Rubin tells Curbed nothing happened to justify Clarkson's criticism
Reaction
Rubin tells New York magazine's Curbed that the store set a high price on Molly to ensure serious interest, calls the episode an insane misunderstanding and says the store now lists the bird at $15 million.
[04]The National News Desk
The National News Desk report describing the silent security footage of Clarkson's visit released by the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, and quoting Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin's interview with New York magazine's Curbed.
Security footage released from Kelly Clarkson's alleged incident that sparked store feud · The National News DeskFull article[05]Kelly Clarkson: Video shows interaction in store she criticized for 'Pretty Woman' treatment
Cox Media Group report on the footage released by podcast host Pablo Torre, summarizing Variety's and The Hollywood Reporter's descriptions of it, and quoting Rubin's Tuesday interview with New York magazine about Molly's price.
Reports describe silent security footage of the visit
Source release
News reports describe about five minutes of surveillance footage with no audio, released by the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, showing Clarkson's brief exchange about the bird and her exit.
[05]Kelly Clarkson: Video shows interaction in store she criticized for 'Pretty Woman' treatment
Cox Media Group report on the footage released by podcast host Pablo Torre, summarizing Variety's and The Hollywood Reporter's descriptions of it, and quoting Rubin's Tuesday interview with New York magazine about Molly's price.
[04]The National News Desk
The National News Desk report describing the silent security footage of Clarkson's visit released by the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, and quoting Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin's interview with New York magazine's Curbed.
Security footage released from Kelly Clarkson's alleged incident that sparked store feud · The National News DeskFull article
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
An Art of Play employee looked at Kelly Clarkson as if she could not afford the item she wanted and offered to find her something comparable.
What is disputed
Art of Play says the item, a mechanical bird called Molly, was not for sale. Co-owner Adam Rubin says nothing happened in the shop to justify Clarkson's criticism. The security footage of the visit has no audio.
Sources (2)
- Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store" · Kelly ClarksonFull post
Disputed claim
Art of Play
Molly, the mechanical bird Clarkson asked about, was not for sale because it plays a role in the magic shows Art of Play hosts.
What is disputed
Clarkson says the employee told her the bird was for sale for $15,000 while she pointed at a price tag on the wall. Rubin told New York magazine the store had put a price on Molly because so many people asked about it.
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
4 matching responses. Newest first.
Adam RubinCo-owner of Art of Play, in an interview with New York magazine's CurbedDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Rubin told Curbed that the store had set a high price on Molly to ensure serious interest from potential buyers, and called the whole thing an insane misunderstanding.
"nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out"
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: An Art of Play employee looked at Kelly Clarkson as if she could not afford the item she wanted and offered to find her something comparable.
Full statement and sources
Rubin calls the episode an insane misunderstanding, says nothing happened in the shop to justify Clarkson's scolding of the shopkeeper and says things changed when she used her platform against the store.
After the statement
Rubin says Clarkson has put the store in danger, that people are being threatened on the street and that anyone who expresses sympathy for Art of Play is attacked by trolls.
Security footage released from Kelly Clarkson's alleged incident that sparked store feud · The National News DeskFull articleWhy this label?
The case centers on how Art of Play's staff treated Clarkson. Rubin says nothing happened in the shop to justify her scolding of the shopkeeper, disputing her description of the visit, so we labeled it a challenge to her characterization.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Kelly ClarksonSinger and television host, in a post on XDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Art of Play had said in an Instagram statement that Molly was not for sale. Clarkson writes that she asked whether it was for sale while pointing to a price tag on the wall titled Singing Bird.
"That all never happened and now it's not for sale. Okay, cool. So you're not only rude, you're also a liar."
CondemnedResponding to: Molly, the mechanical bird Clarkson asked about, was not for sale because it plays a role in the magic shows Art of Play hosts.
Full statement and sources
Clarkson says the employee told her the bird was for sale for $15,000 while she pointed at its price tag, and calls the shop's account a lie.
After the statement
She writes that she supports small businesses, but that being one is not a free pass to treat people as less than, and that the store is really cool while the person she dealt with is not.
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn't for sale." · Kelly ClarksonFull postWhy this label?
The case centers on how Art of Play's staff treated Clarkson. She repeats that the employee was condescending and says the shop's explanation is false, so we used condemns.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Art of PlayBrooklyn shop, in a statement on InstagramDirectly involved Before this statement
NBC News reports that Art of Play said in an Instagram statement that Clarkson asked about purchasing Molly, which it called a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton.
"plays an important role in the magic shows we host here"
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: Molly, the mechanical bird Clarkson asked about, was not for sale because it plays a role in the magic shows Art of Play hosts.
Full statement and sources
Art of Play says Molly, the bird Clarkson asked about, was not for sale because it plays an important role in the magic shows the shop hosts, and says all visitors are equally welcome.
After the statement
The statement says the negative experience Clarkson described would resonate with anyone who has felt judged in a shop, and that the business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited it.
Why this label?
The case centers on how Art of Play's staff treated Clarkson. The shop offers a different account of why she could not buy the bird and does not directly address her claim about how the employee treated her, so we labeled it a challenge to her characterization.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Kelly ClarksonSinger and television host, in a post on XDirectly involved
Before this statement
Clarkson writes that she drove to Brooklyn to check out the store, which she thought looked really rad, with a few things in mind to buy.
"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 huge sale."
CondemnedResponding to: An Art of Play employee looked at Kelly Clarkson as if she could not afford the item she wanted and offered to find her something comparable.
Full statement and sources
Clarkson says an Art of Play employee looked at her as if she could not afford what she wanted, calls him an idiot and compares her visit to the snub of Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman.
After the statement
She tells followers to visit Art of Play in Brooklyn if they enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman.
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store" · Kelly ClarksonFull postWhy this label?
The case centers on how Art of Play's staff treated Clarkson during her visit. She criticizes the employee's treatment of her directly, so we used condemns.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(5)
Original post
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store"
About this source
Post by Kelly Clarkson on X saying that an employee at Art of Play in Brooklyn looked at her as if she could not afford what she wanted, and comparing the visit to a scene in the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
- Author
- Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Kelly Clarkson: Video shows interaction in store she criticized for 'Pretty Woman' treatment
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Cox Media Group report on the footage released by podcast host Pablo Torre, summarizing Variety's and The Hollywood Reporter's descriptions of it, and quoting Rubin's Tuesday interview with New York magazine about Molly's price.
- Author
- Bob D'Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Security footage released from Kelly Clarkson's alleged incident that sparked store feud
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
The National News Desk report describing the silent security footage of Clarkson's visit released by the podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out, and quoting Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin's interview with New York magazine's Curbed.
- Author
- Elizabeth Stanton
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn store snubbed her. The shop says the item she wanted wasn't for sale.
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
NBC News report on Clarkson's first post, Art of Play's Instagram statement that the mechanical bird Molly was not for sale because it is used in the shop's magic shows, and Clarkson's second post. The article notes that NBC is Clarkson's network.
- Author
- Angela Yang
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) post: "Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn't for sale."
About this source
Second post by Clarkson on X, replying to Art of Play's statement that the mechanical bird she asked about was not for sale. She says an employee told her it cost $15,000 and offered to find something comparable.
- Author
- Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson)
- Published
- Accessed
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Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn shop treated her as if she couldn't afford a $15,000 automaton; Art of Play says it was not for sale
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
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The Dispute Index. "Kelly Clarkson says a Brooklyn shop treated her as if she couldn't afford a $15,000 automaton; Art of Play says it was not for sale". First published: 2026-10-24. Last updated: 2026-10-24. https://disputeindex.com/cases/kelly-clarkson-says-a-brooklyn-shop-treated-her-as-if-she-couldn-t-afford-a-15-000-automaton-art-of-play-says-it-was-not-for-sale