Kelly Clarkson accused a Brooklyn shopkeeper of judging her by her appearance, but newly released security footage is giving the internet a closer look at what happened inside the store.
The internet has been getting front-row seats to Clarkson’s feud with an allegedly “rude” shopkeeper she met last week.
Her outraged tweets led to the shopkeeper facing intense heat, after which the owner accused the pop star of misusing her “power” to ruin their business.
Newly released footage gave a look at Kelly Clarkson’s tense moments at a Brooklyn store
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Security footage from inside the store in question, Art of Play in Brooklyn Heights, was aired on a Tuesday episode of Journalist Pablo Torre’s podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out.”
Torre said the Because Of You singer was inside the store for just four minutes and 50 seconds.
Wearing a yellow shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap, Clarkson was seen walking through the store and taking a look at the items on display.
Footage captured Clarkson playing with a telescope before her eyes landed on “Molly,” a rare mechanical bird created by the Seattle kinetic artist Bliss Kolb.
Molly, when cranked up, can sing and dance and move around in a very realistic manner.
The wooden mechanical bird unwittingly became the center of the controversy after Clarkson tweeted about the shopkeeper allegedly being “rude” with her, thinking she couldn’t afford the special bird.
The American Idol winner was seen having a chat with someone about the rare mechanical singing bird
The video obtained from the store’s security cameras did not have audio. However, Clarkson was seen chatting with the shopkeeper and pointing at Molly.
The shopkeeper seemingly turned his attention towards another customer after briefly speaking to Clarkson.
The American Idol winner is then seen putting the telescope back and making her way to the exit. But right before leaving, she seemed ticked off and said a few words to the man at the cash register.
Customers were captured looking at her before Clarkson eventually left.
Torre pointed out that the singer seemed to be dressed in the similar kind of casual clothing as other customers in the store, hence, suggesting that it’s unlikely she was turned away based on her outfit.
The podcast host, who has also visited the same New York store before, said Molly is one of only two Bliss Kolb-created birds in the world. The other bird is with Kolk himself.
Clarkson’s tweet suggested that the shopkeeper didn’t think she couldn’t handle the bird’s $15,000 price tag
Earlier, Art of Play was known to be a niche store in the area, known for its unusual toys, games, and magic-related curiosities.
But it catapulted to national attention after Clarkson tweeted about her not-so-friendly encounter at the store.
“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,” she tweeted.
The chart-topping singer claimed the people at the store told her they could find “something comparable” for her.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” she added in her tweet.
She then urged readers to check out the store if they “enjoy” being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman, who was dismissed by boutique workers assuming she couldn’t afford upscale clothes.
The security footage of Kelly Clarkson’s visit to Art of Play has been obtained by Pablo Torre.
(https://t.co/kRidny1qx7) pic.twitter.com/aaVunORBbt
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 14, 2026
Following the backlash, Art of Play responded saying Molly wasn’t for sale. This prompted Clarkson to post another message, saying that’s the “narrative” the store has chosen to defend themselves.
“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 wrote.
“So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” the Grammy winner wrote in a follow-up tweet
“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,” she continued.
The singer went on to say that she supports small businesses and that’s why she was there in the first place.
She asserted the importance of such shops but said the small-business tag doesn’t give them a “free pass” to “treat people less than” in their store.
“It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception,” she added. “Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
Adam Rubin, co-owner of Art of Play, slammed the singer for her public complaints, which made them targets of online harassment and threats.
The store addressed the backlash, saying Clarkson was misusing her power
“It’s a pop star, a mechanical bird, it’s surreal. When this thing first started, everybody wanted us to d*e,” he told Page Six on Tuesday.
He said someone as famous and powerful as Clarkson shouldn’t be trying to “squash someone like a bug.”
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Adam claimed the pop star’s fans have been tracking him and his employees down on social media, making them concerned about their own safety.
He also made it clear that the store wasn’t going to apologize to Clarkson simply because she was “treated like everybody else” visiting the store.
“Regardless of what happened in the shop, a misunderstanding in a crowded shop – everybody that comes into the store is treated the same, like a normal person,” he said. “That’s what pissed her off.”
Insiders claimed Clarkson must have been pushed to the limit if she felt the need to call them out publicly
A source close to Clarkson claimed that she must have been “livid” if she took to social media to call out the store publicly.
“You know something must have really bothered her because that’s just not who she is,” the insider told Page Six.
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They called the singer one of the most down to earth people, who is “usually chill.”
She’s “genuinely one of the nicest people ever,” they added.
“It looks like exactly what she said,” one commented online
