Kelly Clarkson is usually a wildly upbeat force, but today, she’s taking advantage of her massive following to turn the tables on a local storefront that treated her very poorly when she tried to shop there.
The recently retired daytime talk show host “drove all the way to Brooklyn” this weekend from her home in Manhattan to visit a store she “thought looked really rad,” planning to buy “a few things [she had] in mind.”
But apparently, when she arrived, whoever was manning the store didn’t recognize her, and chose to judge her worthiness as a customer based upon her appearance. She compared the look she received from the employee to “being treated like Julia Roberts‘ character in Pretty Woman,” noting that he assumed she couldn’t afford the items she was looking at and offered to “find something comparable.”
Clarkson brazenly called the employee “an idiot” on social media, noting that she left without completing what would have been “a huge sale.”
Fans were stunned that anyone wouldn’t recognize the very first American Idol winner, with one demanding, “You mean to tell me the guy in the store didn’t know who Kelly Clarkson is?!”
They agreed that the employee was “a fool” to treat her that way, with one admitting, “If I was a salesperson and saw you come in the store, I would roll out ‘the red carpet’ treatment.”
Her followers appreciated her for calling them out, encouraging others to normalize the act of “NAME & SHAME 👌.”
“Yes! Drag them!” another applauded, while someone else graciously replied, “Thank you for being the realest.”
“As you were leaving, we hope you told him who you were 😂,” someone else concluded.
Clarkson didn’t share what specific pieces she was looking to go home with, but the store in question is labeled as a “curiosity shop,” selling art, furniture and decor. So far, they have not publicly responded to her Tweet, but Parade has reached out to them for comment.
This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.