Kelly Clarkson may finally be trying to move on from igniting one of the strangest celebrity social media feuds in recent memory, but the internet and cultural commenters are not ready to let the matter go as they try to figure out why the “American Idol” alum was so triggered by a Brooklyn novelty store refusing to sell her a $15,000 animatronic bird.
After all, the pop star and former talk-show host is generally known for being a pleasant celebrity who doesn’t put on diva displays of entitlement or throw out such lines as, “Don’t you know who I am,” according to Daily Mail columnist Maureen Callahan on her The Nerve podcast. She is “more or less regarded as a national treasure,” added Slate writer Heather Schwedel.
Last Saturday, Clarkson went on X to complain that she had driven “all the way to Brooklyn” to check out Art of Play, a high-end novelty store, which she said “looked really rad.” There were a few specific things she wanted to purchase. But when she asked about a singing and dancing bird named Molly, which was affixed to the store’s wall, Clarkson said a store employee looked at her “as if I couldn’t afford it.”
Clarkson compared herself to the Julia Roberts sex worker character in the 1999 rom-com “Pretty Woman,” who was treated dismissively in a luxury Rodeo Drive clothing boutique. Clark said about the Art of Play employee: “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.”
But after putting the Art of Play on blast — and facing accusations by its owners that she had sicced her 8.8 million X followers on their small business — people have wondered why she would potentially inflict major PR damage on herself, according to reports and thought pieces by Slate, New York Magazine and the New York Times.
A singing and dancing bird automaton named “Molly” is displayed, but not for sale, at Art of Play. (Julian Roberts-Grmela / New York Daily News)
It’s one thing for a celebrity to use their national platform to take on a righteous cause, including complaining about the unfair consumer practices of a large, powerful corporation. But it is seen as “slapping down” when a celebrity uses that same platform to publicly criticize a small business or someone who is not rich and famous. One of Art of Play’s owners, Adam Rubin (who also happens to be a best-selling children’s author), gave interviews and somewhat dramatically accused Clarkson of engaging in “asymmetrical social warfare,” which he said led to an influx of negative social media comments and “people being attacked on the street,” as Slate reported.
Clarkson may have made things worse for herself by doubling-down on her grievances after the store went online to explain that the bird was a “one-of-a-kind” item and not for sale. The store further explained that employees offered to show Clarkson a different automaton that she could take home the same day for $2,000 but she “did not stick around long enough to see it.”
Clarkson volleyed back, pointing out on X that the bird had a $15,000 price tag next to it. She also said the store employee “elevator eyed” her and spoke to her in a condescending tone when offering to find something comparable for her.
Whether or not the employee spoke to her in a condescending way, it has struck many as a bit extreme for Clarkson to take her grievances against a small business to X, especially as American society has spent the past 15 years “learning about the corrosive effects social media has on basically every situation,” Schwedel wrote.
“Something has really, really triggered her,” entertainment writer and gossip columnist Rob Shuter said on Callahan’s “The Nerve” YouTube show. “Something has really upset her.”
Shuter’s theory is that Clarkson still harbors resentment for how she was treated by other celebrities after she became the first person to win “American Idol” and to launch a successful music career.
Art of Play on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn sells eclectic games, puzzles, home goods, books, gift items, and collectible playing cards. (Julian Roberts-Grmela / New York Daily News) Julian Roberts-Grmela / NYDN
“Other celebrities really looked down their nose at her,” Shuter said, adding that she also may be upset because Art of Play didn’t “treat her like the celebrity she has become.” He said, “Maybe she was treated like a normal person, which to a celebrity is a terrible thing. And so she got triggered. She felt like she was disrespected and she exploded without thinking about it.”
Callahan added another, cultural layer to Clarkson’s sense of being disrespected, which she said “goes beyond logic and rationality.” Callahan said Clarkson’s issues could stem from her being a certain kind of celebrity who is trying to hang out in a “hipster” enclave like Brooklyn.
Callahan said she’s lived in certain parts of Brooklyn over the years and has become “very familiar with the sub-genus of hipster” that Clarkson probably encountered. These Brooklyn residents like to think of themselves as cutting-edge cool, with Callahan saying that Clarkson may have felt out of her element because “she’s not a cool celebrity because she’s not Lena Dunham or Zoe Kravitz or Harry Styles.”
Shuter agreed that Clarkson’s brand of celebrity is “mainstream,” with Callahan adding, “They treated her like you’re not cool enough to be in here. That’s what I think got to her I think it really bothers her.”
If Clarkson still had her her eponymous daytime talk show, she could invite the owners of Art of Play on to make amends and laugh off the social media kerfuffle that both sides contributed to, Callahan said. That would be a fun, playful way to put this drama behind her and to win some P.R. points by showing that she has a sense of humor about herself.
Shuter agreed, saying, “I think the Kelly I love would have been able to laugh at herself and say, ‘You know what? I don’t have any business in this store. I should go back to Target.’”
Callahan also said Clarkson might miss having her talk show. Clarkson stepped away from her Emmy-winning show in August after seven seasons, saying last February she wanted to spend time with her two children, 12 and 10, following the death of their father and her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.
For the time being, Clarkson had tried to move on from the controversy this week by performing in Las Vegas Wednesday night, though it was for a corporate event, the New York Daily News reported.
Meanwhile, Art of Play appears to be enjoying some of the national attention, Callahan said. The store also allowed itself to get cheeky — or passive aggressive — and raised the price of Molly the bird to $15 million. But as Slate writer Schwedel pointed out, this multi-milion-dollar price tag wouldn’t be that much of an impediment to Clarkson — no matter how uncool she may be. She reportedly as a net worth of more than $50 million.