Security footage of Kelly Clarkson’s visit to Art of Play is now public after the singer accused the Brooklyn shop of treating her dismissively. Journalist Pablo Torre obtained the recording and released it on Oct. 13.
The visit lasted four minutes and 50 seconds. The video contains no audio, so it does not capture the words or tone of her conversations with employees, as ABC News noted.
Clarkson compared her Oct. 10 shopping experience to Julia Roberts’ treatment in Pretty Woman. Art of Play disputed her account and said she had misunderstood what staff were offering.
The disagreement centers on Molly, a wall-mounted singing bird created by Seattle artist Bliss Kolb. The shop uses the mechanical sculpture in its magic shows.
Clarkson Browsed a Kaleidoscope Before Speaking With Two Employees
The footage described by ABC shows Clarkson wearing a yellow top and baseball cap, examining merchandise and looking through a kaleidoscope. She then approaches Molly and speaks with a staff member beside the display.
After that exchange, an employee gestures toward another part of the store while Clarkson is facing away, according to Business Insider. She returns items to the shelves and heads toward the entrance, where she stops to address a worker behind the counter, gesturing as they speak.
Exterior footage shows her taking out her phone after leaving. Torre’s comparison of the timestamps placed her first X complaint about 15 minutes after her departure, Rolling Stone reported.
The Store Says the Original Price Referred to Molly’s Twin
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As Wealth of Geeks previously reported, Clarkson said she asked whether the bird was for sale while pointing to its price tag. In her account, the employee confirmed that it was, quoted $15,000 and offered to find something comparable. She interpreted his tone and the way he looked at her as a judgment about her ability to pay.
Clarkson subsequently shared a photograph showing the displayed price. She also wrote, “You don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business.”
Art of Play’s follow-up statement said the amount concerned a nearly identical bird owned by Kolb, rather than the one installed in its shop. Staff also offered to show Clarkson a different singing bird from a German clockmaking workshop for approximately $2,000, the business said, but she left before seeing it. Page Six reported the statement.
Asked why the display carried a price, co-owner Adam Rubin told Curbed that it helped identify serious buyers before the shop contacted the artist. Rubin subsequently announced a $15 million asking price for Molly, citing popular demand.
Kolb’s description of the design explains the work inside the sculpture. Turning its handle operates wooden gears and nine cams, with levers and cables producing seven movements. Leather bellows push air through a brass whistle, while a moving plunger changes the pitch. The bird and its perch stand approximately six inches tall.
Rubin Says Employees Received Threats, While Customers Brought Gifts
Rubin told Business Insider that Clarkson’s post had brought threats and online abuse to the business. He compared its effect to a Molotov cocktail. In other interviews, he described hostile reviews, abusive calls and people confronting staff in person.
He told Rolling Stone that one incident prompted a call to police. He also said nearby businesses and regular customers had delivered pastries, gifts and encouraging notes.
The magazine’s reporter, CT Jones, found shoppers browsing for birthday presents and a family doing crafts during a Tuesday visit. One customer was unaware of the dispute. The store continued operating as both a curiosity shop and a venue for close-up magic.
The View’s Panel Split Over Clarkson’s Responsibility for the Backlash
Discussing the footage on Oct. 15, Sunny Hostin said Clarkson appeared to have “a bit of a tantrum,” pointing to how quickly she replaced items before leaving. Hostin questioned the decision to publicize the encounter to a large following, TheWrap reported.
Guest cohost Raven-Symoné also called the reaction petty, but defended Clarkson’s right to describe an experience she found disrespectful. She rejected blaming the singer for other people’s threatening behavior, saying Clarkson had not instructed anyone to attack the shop, according to Us Weekly.
Rubin Welcomed Another Visit as the Shop Tried to Contact Clarkson
Clarkson performed at a corporate event at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Oct. 14. Wearing black with rhinestones and feathers, she sang “Favorite Kind of High,” “Breakaway” and “Since U Been Gone,” Entertainment Weekly reported.
That same day, Rubin told PEOPLE that Clarkson was “welcome anytime” at Art of Play.
In an Oct. 16 update, a source in the shop’s neighborhood told Page Six that the business had reached out through multiple channels but had not heard back from Clarkson.