After several days of social media sparring, one of the owners of Art of Play has released an official statement regarding the days-long saga involving “American Idol” season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. Kelly announced in an October 10 social media post that she felt snubbed at the Brooklyn store after expressing interest in purchasing a $15,000 wooden bird the store says wasn’t for sale. She compared the treatment she received to the famous “Pretty Woman” scene where Julia Roberts’ character is disdainfully ejected from a pricy shop.
After the shop point this fact out in a social media post of their own, Kelly fired back to insist the bird was in fact for sale, citing the $15,000 price tag she spotted on the animal. However, the store explained the price tag was for a second bird, which they say they offered to let the singer buy. She also compared the treatment she received to the infamous “Pretty Woman” scene where Julia Roberts’ character
To prove their point, the shop took to their Instagram and “pinned” at the top of their food a post from several weeks before the run-in, in which they’d included the bird, named Molly, on a list of their “favorite items not for sale.” Fans of the shop have also pointed out the bird is a regular fixture in the magic show’s the store regularly puts on.
Art of Play Co-Owner Speaks Out About Kelly Clarkson Bird-Gate
On October 13, Page Six reported they’d exclusively spoken with Adam Rubin, who co-owns Art of Play in Brooklyn, New York, and he had this to say:
“It’s a pop star, a mechanical bird, it’s surreal. When this thing first started, everybody wanted us to die.”
Rubin went on to call Kelly’s call-out a “reprehensible abuse of power” and said the moment should give cause to “reconsider the place we give celebrities in our society.”
The report says he continued, “This is not how you can behave as a citizen in the world, like, if you are this famous and powerful and you try to squash someone like a bug, then we’re supposed to blame the trolls for all the damage that’s inflicted. She lit the fuse.”
He also said he’s received “thousands of hateful phone calls, hateful text messages,” and that Kelly’s mob of fans have demanded his store give the talk show host an apology. He called the idea that he should apologize “a perverse distortion of reality.”
Rubin also shared his version of what occurred when Kelly stopped into the store. “She did not take out her Black Card and try to buy the thing off the wall. She was not told, no, she was not told to leave. She asked about the bird. It’s on the wall, and attached permanently. It was explained to her that it’s a complicated situation to get these things made. They take years.”
The bird in question is remarkably realistic and lifelike, as seen in the video below.
Video Footage Emerged the Same Day Shop Owner Spoke Out, But There’s No Audio
On the investigative video podcast “PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT,” footage emerged of Kelly in the store. It begins around the 16:40 mark, and the “Breakaway” singer is the person in the bright yellow t-shirt. The 3-time Grammy winner is seen walking around the store and gathering items before entering into a conversation with an employee.
After the exchange, during which Kelly pointed a few times in the direction of the bird and appeared to be asking questions, she put down her items and exited the store.
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Shop Owner Releases New Statement on Kelly Clarkson Bird Run-In: ‘She Was Not Told to Leave’