On Oct. 10, Kelly Clarkson publicly claimed that she was “treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman” while visiting a store in Brooklyn, New York, called Art of Play.
If you’re unfamiliar with the reference, Julia’s Pretty Woman character, Vivian, is refused service at a clothing boutique after a store employee assumes that she cannot afford the more expensive items for sale. She later returns to the store more dressed up — and holding other shopping bags — to tell the employee that she made a “big mistake.”
Kelly claimed on X, “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.”
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…
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026
@kellyclarkson / Via x.com
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Kelly’s tweet, which has received more than 40 million views on X in just 48 hours, immediately garnered a mixed response, with many people taking issue with her response despite empathizing with that her alleged experience.
I understand this sucked, but Trying to damage a small business in mass scale just because an employee messed up, is just AWFULIt really bothers me when famous people use their influence to hurt small businesses https://t.co/ZvxIrqxqTg
— FoxyFarmer🦊🇺🇸 (@GardensR4Health) October 10, 2026
@GardensR4Health / Via x.com
“I understand this sucked, but Trying to damage a small business in mass scale just because an employee messed up, is just AWFUL,” one person tweeted. “It really bothers me when famous people use their influence to hurt small businesses.”
“I think it’s really evil to post about a small business like this actually,” another popular post read.
However, someone countered, “if this happened to a regular person and they ranted about it online, they’d get sympathy, not backlash. kelly’s allowed to feel the same way regardless of who she is.”
Meanwhile, fans of Kelly flooded Art of Play’s social media posts with comments defending the American Idol alum, while also leaving the business a string of negative Google reviews.
Amid the mounting backlash, Art of Play responded a day after Kelly’s tweet was posted. They wrote on Instagram, “Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here. Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”
“At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to “pick things up and play.” And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys,” they continued.
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“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity,” the post went on, before concluding, “Thanks to all our friends for their support and welcome to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama. 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.'”
Meanwhile, Art of Play reposted a load of Instagram stories about the situation, including one stating that the store was run by “the nicest people”:
And some that accused Kelly of mobilizing “8 million angry fans” against the business:
Before long, Kelly quickly called out Art of Play again, directly refuting the store’s claim that the “Molly” wasn’t for sale by sharing a photo of a $15,000 price tag next to the bird.
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“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” she began on X. “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.”
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… pic.twitter.com/9PEhUWnIOt
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
@kellyclarkson / Via x.com
Kelly added, “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.”
Naturally, Kelly’s response sparked renewed backlash against Art of Play, with several fans flocking to the comments of their initial statement to accuse them of lying.
And before long, Art of Play shared another post highlighting “one additional detail” about Kelly’s visit to the store.
Debra L Rothenberg / Getty Images
“During the 5 minutes she spent in the store, she inquired about our mechanical bird puppet named Molly. 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. He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson,” they claimed.
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“We also offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it,” they alleged. “We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air. We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Art of Play’s latest statement — and lack of apology — is not being received well online:
Yiiiiikes. Let us know what you think in the comments, and we’ll keep you posted if/when more unfolds.
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