Kelly Clarkson calls Art of Play's not-for-sale account a lie
Kelly ClarksonSinger and television host, in a post on X
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.
Responding 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.
“That all never happened and now it's not for sale. Okay, cool. So you're not only rude, you're also a liar.”
Original post
Reporting

Where this statement fits
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
Singer Kelly Clarkson wrote on X on October 10, 2026, that an employee at Art of Play, a Brooklyn curiosity shop, looked at her as if she could not afford what she wanted and offered to find her something comparable. Art of Play said the item she asked about, a mechanical singing bird called Molly, was not for sale because it is used in the shop's magic shows. Clarkson replied that the employee had told her the bird cost $15,000 and called the shop's account a lie. Co-owner Adam Rubin says nothing happened in the shop to justify her criticism, and silent security footage of the visit does not show what was said.
Source and context
Original post
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.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
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.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
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.
After the quotation
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.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why 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.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Art of Play
More from this case
Read the full caseArt of Play co-owner Adam Rubin says nothing happened in the shop to justify Clarkson's scolding
“nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out”Read statement
Art of Play says the bird Clarkson asked about was not for sale
Art of Play
“plays an important role in the magic shows we host here”Read statement
Kelly Clarkson says an Art of Play employee looked at her as if she couldn't afford it
“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.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Kelly Clarkson calls Art of Play's not-for-sale account a lie
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6666-clarkson-says-the-employee-told-her-the-bird
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Kelly Clarkson calls Art of Play's not-for-sale account a lie". First published: 2026-10-24. Last updated: 2026-10-24. https://disputeindex.com/events/6666-clarkson-says-the-employee-told-her-the-bird