Kelly Clarkson’s alleged dispute with a Brooklyn shopkeeper was seemingly captured on video via the store’s security cameras.
Alleged footage of the moment, which has sparked an ongoing public war of words between the musician, 44, and the owners of the curiosity boutique Art of Play in New York City, was shared via the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast on Tuesday, October 13.
A woman, who host and journalist Pablo Torre claims to be Clarkson, is seen entering the store amid a busy crowd before zeroing in on a wall-hung mechanical bird puppet named “Molly” at approximately 2:50 PM ET on Saturday, October 10, per the footage.
Dressed in an oversized yellow T-shirt, a gray baseball cap and carrying a backpack, the woman — allegedly Clarkson — then engages with an employee.
Torre, 41, and his podcast co-host, Wyatt Cenac, commentated the woman’s moves, pointing out that “the whole interaction lasts seconds,” before the woman and the staff member “part ways” for her to continue browsing and for him to oversee the rest of the store.
The footage then captures the shopkeeper pointing at the wall positioned directly opposite to the bird and looking in the woman’s direction. The woman seemingly does not notice the gesture as her back is turned to the man as she looks through a back shelf in the store.
“[He’s] pointing as though, ‘If you’re interested in getting a bird, there’s this one here,” comedian Cenac, 50, argues about the footage. (Clarkson’s first claimed via X that she was allegedly “looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me.”)
The Brooklyn shop at the center of controversy over how its staff allegedly mistreated Kelly Clarkson has seemingly offered a thinly-veiled response. Hours after Clarkson, 44, tweeted about allegedly having a Pretty Woman-style experience of being shamed over a potential purchase, Art of Play shared a message via its Instagram Story from another customer who […]
The woman turns around within moments as the shopkeeper begins speaking to another customer. She is then seen returning two items back to the shelves before walking to the entrance of the store to glance back at the shopkeeper, who remains in conversation with the other customer.
Clasping her hands and shaking her head slightly, the woman heads further towards the exit before addressing another staff member in the store with animated gestures. She then exits abruptly with the second shopkeeper appearing confused and pointing a hand in his colleague’s direction.
Comparing the interaction to the iconic “Big mistake” scene in 1990’s Pretty Woman, Clarkson wrote in full on Saturday, “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out 👎.”
The Brooklyn, New York, boutique caught in Kelly Clarkson’s crossfire is subtly doubling down against her mistreatment accusations. “For what it’s worth, I think @artofplay is a great store,” another customer wrote via Instagram Stories, which the home goods shop reposted to its own page on Sunday, October 11. Clarkson, 44, claimed several hours earlier […]
In the days since, the store has defended itself via social media by directly refuting Clarkson’s claim, sharing positive customer reviews and detailing the interaction itself.
Clarkson fired back on Sunday, October 11, labeling the store a “liar.”
Us has reached out to a rep for the singer regarding the alleged security footage but did not hear back at the time of publication.
