Kelly Clarkson Claims She Got The “Pretty Woman” Treatment, Igniting Online Feud With Store
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Kelly Clarkson took to social media on Saturday (October 10th) to vent about her alleged experience at a store in Brooklyn. This sparked an online feud between Clarkson and the store, which has since responded to her claims not once, but twice.
It all started with Clarkson’s post on October 10th. She wrote:
“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 huge sale.”
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As Clarkson’s statement continued, she wrote, “But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out.“
The Voice coach compared her alleged experience at the store to a famous scene from the movie Pretty Woman. In the scene, Julia Roberts’ character, Vivian, is told to leave an expensive boutique based on her appearance and, therefore, perceived lack of wealth.
Vivian later returns to the store, dressed to the nines and carrying a ton of shopping bags from elsewhere, telling them they made a “big mistake.”
Read Kelly Clarkson’s original post below.
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 huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out 👎
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026
Store Responds To Kelly Clarkson’s Claim That They Gave Her The “Pretty Woman” Treatment
Art of Play is a store in Brooklyn, New York, that sells toys, board games, books, puzzles, and home decor. When the store heard about Kelly Clarkson’s post, they issued a statement to share their side of the story.
Art of Play claimed that Clarkson inquired about purchasing a singing bird automaton named Molly. The store described Molly as “one-of-a-kind,” noting that she is attached to the wall and not available for purchase, which is why Clarkson was told she could not buy her.
Art of Play emphasized that everyone is “equally welcome” in their store. Because of this, they expressed how shocked they were when “8 million people” began bombarding them online after reading Clarkson’s post about her alleged mistreatment.
Art of Play said, “It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”
They added, “We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
The last part of their statement referred to Clarkson’s 2012 hit, “Stronger.” Read Art of Play’s entire post below.
Kelly Clarkson Responds To Art Of Play’s Initial Statement, Calling Them A “Liar”
Kelly Clarkson responded to Art of Play’s statement later on Sunday, October 11th. She disputed their claims, saying there was a price tag beside the bird, so she was under the impression it was for sale.
She accused the store of lying, 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 saying in a condescending tone ‘yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.'”
She continued, “That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
Clarkson also posted a photo that appears to show a price tag listing a “Singing Bird” at $15,000.
Clarkson emphasized how she is always happy to support small businesses, which is why she visited Art of Play in the first place. But she believes being a small business doesn’t give a place “a free pass to treat people [as] less than in your store,” which is what she claims happened to her in this case.
Read the post below to see Clarkson’s response to Art of Play’s initial statement.
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 saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
Art Of Play Issues An Additional Statement
Art of Play published another statement after Clarkson shared her second post. The store said they wanted to clarify something about her visit on Saturday.
They repeated their claim that Clarkson inquired about purchasing Molly:
“During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly,” Art of Play said.
They added, “We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle.”
Art of Play claims that Kolb told them he would sell his similar bird to Clarkson for $15,000. The shop also claims they offered to show Clarkson another bird she could have purchased in-store, and it would have cost around $2,000. But they allege that Clarkson did not stay long enough to look at the other bird.
The shop expressed its desire to work things out with Clarkson, saying they have reached out to her privately. Read their full statement in the post below.
We’ll continue to keep you updated on any other statements from Clarkson or Art of Play regarding this situation.
