You just can’t “escape” from drama.
Kelly Clarkson’s decision to publicly call out a Brooklyn outlet for its alleged rude treatment speaks volumes about how upset she must have been, a source close to the singer told Page Six.
“If she actually calls a store publicly, she must be furious,” an insider told us exclusively. “You know something must have really been bothering her because that’s just not who she is.”
“Kelly is truly one of the most down-to-earth people you could ever meet,” the source said. “She is generally relaxed and truly one of the nicest people ever.”
According to the source, The Kelly Clarkson Show host’s decision to publicly call out the store is especially surprising given her generally laid-back personality.
“She’s so approachable and has never let fame get to her head.”
Clarkson “treats everyone with respect and doesn’t expect any special treatment from anyone,” the source explained.
“He’s not someone who’s making a big deal out of nothing. He’s just a really good, normal person who happens to be incredibly famous.”
A representative for Clarkson did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The comments come after the “Since U Been Gone” singer, 44, criticized Brooklyn store Art of Play on Saturday, saying an employee treated her like she couldn’t afford an expensive item she wanted to buy.
Clarkson compared the experience to Julia Roberts’ character in the 1990 film “Pretty Woman,” in which Roberts’ character is snubbed by an arrogant saleswoman at a high-end boutique.
“I drove all the way to Brooklyn to visit this store that I thought was really awesome and had a few things in mind to buy and was literally looked at like I couldn’t afford it and told they could find something comparable for me,” Clarkson wrote on X.
The Grammy winner then called the employee an “idiot,” saying the store just lost a major sale.
However, Art of Play pushed back on Clarkson’s account on Sunday, explaining that the item she wanted to purchase was a one-of-a-kind mechanical puppet named Molly that was permanently attached to the wall and not for sale.
But Clarkson didn’t buy the explanation, as the former American Idol winner responded on
“So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,” she retorted.
Clarkson also insisted that she has always supported small businesses, but argued that being an independent business does not excuse poor customer service.
“It’s not that hard to be nice,” she wrote, adding, “I never criticize people, but you, my friend, were an exception.”
On Monday, Art of Play issued another statement defending its account of the encounter, saying employees explained to Clarkson that a nearly identical bird owned by the original artist was available for $15,000.
The store also claimed it offered the singer another mechanical bird for about $2,000, but she left before seeing it.
“We reached out to Kelly directly to try to clear things up,” the outlet wrote, adding that it hoped both parties could eventually laugh off the “misunderstanding.”
Clarkson has not publicly responded to the outlet’s latest statement.
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