{"id":371484,"date":"2026-10-13T00:32:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T00:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/371484\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T00:32:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T00:32:12","slug":"the-kelly-clarkson-magic-shop-feud-presents-an-ethical-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/371484\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kelly Clarkson-magic shop feud presents an ethical conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grammy Award-winning singer and former talk show host Kelly Clarkson<\/a> decided to beef with a small Brooklyn-based business over the weekend, claiming she was treated unfairly. And it raises some important questions about power and how to use it.<\/p>\n

Clarkson visited \u201ccuriosity shop\u201d Art of Play (don\u2019t worry, I googled it \u2014 it essentially translates to \u201cmagic shop\u201d) and afterward took to X to blast the store in a tweet<\/a> that had amassed more than a quarter-million likes at the time of publication.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust 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\u2019t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWow, dude. You\u2019re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y\u2019all 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.\u201d She ended the post with a damning thumbs-down emoji.<\/p>\n

This whole debacle foregrounds some complex questions about power. <\/p>\n

Art of Play responded with a measured, if not a little pious, Instagram post<\/a> explaining that the item Clarkson wanted to buy, an automaton bird named Molly, \u201cis permanently attached to the wall and isn\u2019t for sale,\u201d adding, \u201cHowever, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post also addressed the backlash the store faced: \u201cImagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It\u2019s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

And thus began a tit-for-tat social media war between Art of Play and Clarkson, the latter of whom accused the shop of lying about Molly, and which is still ongoing.<\/p>\n

The internet has been sitting back, eating its proverbial popcorn as the feud has gathered momentum. For me, as noted, this whole debacle foregrounds some complex questions about power. Chiefly, how do we ethically use our power? I\u2019ll give you a hint: Clarkson, here, fell short.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPlay<\/p>\n

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Clarkson has extraordinary levels of privilege given her career and pop icon status \u2014 not to mention that she is cishet and white, with an estimated wealth of approximately $70 million<\/a>. Clarkson has close to 9 million followers on X, where she initiated her consumer dispute. By all accounts, her wealth and cultural and social capital far exceed that of Art of Play and its magician twin-brother owners, Dan and Dave Buck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\tMore articles<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\"Noor\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNoor Noman<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNoor Noman is a writer focused on culture, race and LGBTQ issues.\t\t<\/p>\n