Footage of Kelly Clarkson visiting the Brooklyn novelty store she attacked on Saturday has now been acquired and released by Pablo Torre, the host and editor of the investigative podcast “Pablo Torre Discovers Out.”
The video offers another perspective on the ongoing drama between Clarkson and Art of Play, the local Brooklyn company that she claims gave her the “Pretty Woman” treatment when an employee looked at the singer like she “couldn’t afford” Molly, the $15,000 bird automaton she requested to purchase. “Wow, man. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” Clarkson wrote on X before naming the store.
Clarkson can be seen wearing a baseball cap, bright yellow t-shirt, baggy jeans and a backpack in the video. She enters the store, accompanied by her children, browses and collects a few items as more and more customers continue to enter. From footage taken from another camera angle, we can see Clarkson then find herself standing in front of the bird automaton, where she then attracts the attention of a store employee, who can be seen talking with the musician and pointing to something near the bird, although the video does not clearly show what he was pointing at.
After Art of Play shared a statement in response on Sunday, writing that the bird is “permanently attached to the wall and is not for sale” and “plays an important role in the magic shows we put on here,” a skeptical Clarkson responded again, describing the interaction now seen on video and writing, “Cool, cool. Of course it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative that Art of Play is going to go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale while pointing to the price tag on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen because you looked at me in the elevator and said in a condescending tone ‘yes it’s for sale but it costs $15,000 so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.’
At this point in the sequence, Clarkson and the employee separate as he begins to help other customers in the store. Clarkson then puts back the items she was holding, but before leaving, she turns and speaks to another employee behind the counter, gesticulating, apparently upset by the previous interaction. Other shoppers in the store can be seen looking at Clarkson, whose entire store visit lasted less than five minutes. His first tweet about the interaction was posted 15 minutes after he left.
While some are decidedly pro-Clarkson in the debate that has since taken over the internet, others have questioned the singer’s motives for speaking out against the small business on her social media accounts. In an interview with Inside Edition on Tuesday, store owner Adam Rubin said his store has been bombarded since Clarkson took to social media and named the store, and that employees and surrounding businesses have been harassed. “We are afraid for the safety of our merchants. Kelly Clarkson put us in danger… Things changed when she used her platform to attack us. It’s just a social war,” he said. Rubin also explained why Clarkson might have felt like she received poor treatment: “When Kelly came in, the store was crowded. She was dressed like everyone else in the store. We treated her like a normal person, but apparently that didn’t meet her expectations.”
Art of Play is described as a specialty curio shop and online retailer.
Watch the full sequence here.
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