entertainment
Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play give differing accounts of Brooklyn visit
Clarkson describes dismissive treatment; the Brooklyn shop says a $15,000 price referred to another mechanical bird. Both accounts remain attributed.
By NewsCubby Editorial Desk · Published · Updated
Kelly Clarkson’s visit to Art of Play in Brooklyn has become a public disagreement over how she was treated and which mechanical bird was available to buy.
As reported by Yi-Jin Yu of ABC News and Molly Bruton of News 12, Clarkson said she felt staff assumed she could not afford an item, comparing the encounter to Pretty Woman. She later challenged the shop’s explanation, saying she had been told a bird was for sale for $15,000.
ABC News, News 12 and Scripps News report Art of Play’s different account. It says Molly, the bird installed in its shop, is a permanent fixture used in magic shows. In a follow-up statement, the business said the $15,000 price concerned a nearly identical creation owned by Seattle artist Bliss Kolb.
The shop also said it offered another singing bird costing about $2,000 and had contacted Clarkson to try to resolve the disagreement.
The competing statements establish a dispute, rather than independently proving either account of the conversation. The price-tag explanation and the store’s attempt to clear the air are the latest developments described in the reports reviewed.
File photograph
Kelly Clarkson at the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games; Staff Sgt. Carlin Leslie / U.S. Department of Defense. Public domain official-duty photograph, cropped. This file portrait does not depict the Brooklyn visit.