Updated

Updated · TODAY · Oct 11

Kelly Clarkson Calls Brooklyn Shop Liars Over $15,000 Bird as Backlash Hits 8 Million

Updated

Updated · TODAY · Oct 11

Kelly Clarkson Calls Brooklyn Shop Liars Over $15,000 Bird as Backlash Hits 8 Million

Q: Who is really telling the truth about the $15,000 price tag that ignited a massive celebrity feud with a Brooklyn shop?

Neither side’s account can be fully verified from the public record, but the strongest evidence only supports this much: Kelly Clarkson says she was shown a tag reading “Singing Bird” and told the piece was for sale for $15,000, while Art of Play says the bird she wanted — “Molly” — is a wall-mounted automaton used in its magic shows and was never for sale. Clarkson’s later post is the only source for the specific $15,000 figure. She alleged that when she pointed to the tagged item, an employee “elevator eyed” her and said, “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars,” then offered to find something “comparable.” That directly supports her claim that the price tag existed and that she felt judged. Art of Play has publicly stood by a different explanation: Molly is a one-of-a-kind display piece, permanently attached to the wall, and part of the store’s shows. Reporting also notes prior store posts describing Molly as the shop’s mascot and one of the few items marked “Do Not Touch,” which lends some credibility to the store’s claim that it was not ordinary merchandise. What is missing is independent proof of the actual exchange: no photo of the alleged $15,000 tag, no video, and no detailed staff account addressing Clarkson’s quotation. So the truth of the price-tag dispute remains unresolved. The most defensible reading is that the item’s sale status and the employee’s wording are still in dispute, while the backlash far outpaced the publicly verified facts.

3 articles · Updated · TODAY · Oct 11

Clarkson escalated the dispute on Oct. 11, saying Art of Play was “not only rude” but lying after the shop said the bird automaton she wanted was a permanent installation not for sale.
In her account, a staffer pointed to a wall tag and said the item was for sale for $15,000 before offering to find something “comparable,” which she said made her feel judged over money.
Art of Play said “Molly,” a singing bird used in its magic shows, is permanently attached to the wall and has previously appeared in the store’s “favorite items not for sale” posts.
The Brooklyn Heights shop said Clarkson’s post exposed it to attacks from 8 million people, while online reaction split between her fans criticizing the store and locals defending it.