Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop dispute escalates after security video

musicOct 14, 202632992

Adam Rubin, co‑owner of Brooklyn’s Art of Play, says Kelly Clarkson’s public complaint about a mechanical bird unleashed “thousands” of hateful phone calls and texts, doxxing, and threats against the small shop. Rubin told Page Six the harassment followed Clarkson’s social media posts and called her actions “reprehensible abuse of power,” saying the episode forced the owners to reconsider the influence celebrities hold. Journalist Pablo Torres published in‑store CCTV that shows Clarkson picking up a few items, speaking to a sales employee, carefully replacing the items on the shelf, and saying something to the person behind the register. Rubin insisted the staff did not recognize Clarkson and that the shop treats all customers the same, and he blamed Clarkson’s platform for igniting the wave of harassment. The owners say the abuse has been intense and personal, and they framed the episode as a warning about how celebrity complaints can endanger small businesses.

the babahuck

@tylerhuckabee.bsky.social

sorry for extending the kelly clarkson discourse for yet another day but not hard to see why she got frustrated with this guy. he's asked three times whether or not the bird is for sale and won't give a clear answer!

Did someone say that Molly wasn’t for sale? Walk us through how this actually went.
I wanna tell you guys, the store was packed when this happened. It was not, like, a one-on-one interaction. The store was packed. If you have ever worked in a shop, and it’s busy, part of what you do is when somebody looks at something and they find it interesting is you show them something else that’s very similar. It has nothing to do with price. That’s just how you treat people. “Oh, you like this one where the pictures move? Do you have kids? Because we have another one where the people move. It’s for kids. Look at this.” Are you gonna get offended because it costs less?

She was in the shop for less than five minutes. If this tweetstorm had not happened, we wouldn’t have realized there was a negative interaction in the shop; it was that undramatic. We treated her like a normal person, but apparently that didn’t live up to her expectations.

But was it for sale or not?
We are a nontraditional shop. We work directly with artisans. This guy is an artisan who does not make many things like this. I think that’s where the misunderstanding might have come in. Bliss lives in the woods in a house that he made with his own hands. He’s not on social media. He doesn’t have a warehouse. It takes him years to make these machines. There are two in existence. This is one. If someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton. This is not something that’s sitting in a warehouse. It’s like a piece of sculpture. It’s a fine-art piece.

But there is a price tag —
So many people asked about it that we had put a price on it, but we talked to the creator when he came to fix the machine, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton. As you’ve noticed, we’ve raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million.

4381h ago

Jenn Wilson60

That last paragraph though where they said they’d put a customer in touch with the artist to commission one- that service wasn’t offered to KC, OR THE ARTIST. All they had to say was “wonderful, let’s set up getting one commissioned for you!” And everyone is happy.

Grumpy Rootbeer43

Their solution to people asking if the bird is for sale was ... putting a false price tag on it? Instead of one just saying "Not for Sale"?

Frozen Cusser43

This is someone not used to dealing with magicians.

Brittany33

This much obfuscation has got to be lying but ….. why!?! Can you buy the bird or not

persistentfeminist.bsky.social31

Then maybe they could have, idk, just thinking out loud here, contacted Bliss and asked him? That said, the Times should really not be covering this one. Annoying Brooklyn Shop Is Annoying does not qualify as news. (Source: I live in the neighborhood that had the artisanal mayo store.)

Moonman (Haunted)24

The gendered, “if someone seriously wanted it we would have sold it to him” is real obnoxious and subtly mysoginistic response. Like, she needed to have her husband with her? The interviewee does it multiple times, seems intentional but what do I know? I’m just a simple country boy…

Quoting this

Julia Carrie Wong62

personally i think it's really great that the shop owner defended himself from the charge of being weirdly hostile and condescending to someone asking whether an item with a price tag is for sale by being weirdly hostile, condescending and evasive to a reporter asking whether the item is for sale

whet moser48

i have no opinion on who is in the right or wrong but it is sending me that he was asked "so is it for sale" and his answer is "look, this guy lives in a house in the woods that he built with his hands"

LAISSEZ LES BOO QUESO ROULER14

asymmetrical social warfare. you're an adult and you say shit like that?

Brittany13

I’m furious just reading this! Imagine having the interaction in person

ellie lockhart (she/they)11

this is just the worst hidden third expansion to Bioshock: Infinite

Walter MOONdale11

Clarkson has to know how to use her platform responsibly, and that sometimes you just don't get what you want, but good grief these people are the worst. you know what, i'm taking my bird business across town, how do you like that, Bliss. That's some asymmetrical economic warfare for you.

Sara Gibbs is Scary Enough Already11

“Bliss lives in the woods in a house that he made with his own hands” is better than anything I’ve ever written

Harry7

“We’ve raised the price to $15m” okay so it IS for sale and you’re a grifter. Got it

VaJenell Hugh-Briss6

I’m gonna watch Pablo Torre’s video explainer, but anyone would be frustrated by responses like this to a simple inquiry. If it wasn’t for sale, say that. If it IS for sale but has special terms for purchase, SAY THAT. The shop is “in danger” cuz he’s being passive aggressive.

Tamreen4

look, this is obv not a normal store but a quest hook. You don't buy things. You get an entry in your journal to "Find Bliss's house in the woods"

BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL AKA PRESIDENT FOOTBALL

@edsbs.bsky.social

Hopefully this is how Kelly Clarkson learns attachment to the material only prolongs suffering and extends her time in samsara

2592h ago

Timmy Boy2

Inviting Ms. Kelly to free herself of the physical realm by Office Space-ing a $250K Large Memory Server with me. I found a really good stick to beat it with.

James Hell Brooks

@kleinman.bsky.social

Do not bring ideology or class analysis into the Kelly Clarkson thing. Just let an extended Portlandia sketch be funny.

951h ago

Patrick Meyers3

I will say I was amused at some clearly non-locals saying "well, gentrification, what do you expect from these people" and was like gentrification...of Brooklyn Heights? Are they time travelers?

John Skonieczny3

The shop owner going full toddler and setting the price at a big number "uhhh, $15 million" is my favorite part I think.

HorseHalves2

Yeah, the owners of the animatronic bird store in NYC are not just some simple shop keepers.

@missxbri.bsky.social

Kelly Clarkson is showing exactly what people mean when they said eventually white people will be white. Even your faves. The white will always jump out

161h ago

Mia Myers 🔪 🎃

@mia-sade.blacksky.app

Now that the hell is going on with Kelly Clarkson and this bird?

A drawing of a Black woman opening a door that has YT People Business posted on it

161h ago

Quoting this

The Not Chaotic Cherub 😇4

Screaming. This meme is perfect 😂

princehak33m.bsky.social2

I saw the video and I can’t really tell who is lying without the audio. She wanted to buy the bird, and I guess she was told it’s not for sale. But in a rude way? I just can’t bring myself to care 😭

mike taddow

@miketaddow.bsky.social

some personal news: kelly clarkson recently tried to buy a scary owl in my backyard (used to scare big birds away). we told her it wasn’t for sale and she suddenly kicked a field goal into my house. she put us in danger!

141h ago

👻 amanda 🦭🦭👻

@kayjayteeem.blacksky.app

i love me some kelly clarkson, but 🫤 that’s all i got. also, people of the internet need to get a grip. use that angry energy towards actual racism & classism. it’s lazy, honestly, to pick the low hanging fruit instead of coming together to plot against the bigger, more harmful entities.

71h ago

Abolish ICE! aftiej 🗽

@aftiej.bsky.social

$15,000 would literally change my life right now and Kelly Clarkson, a generally likable celebrity, is having a public meltdown because she wasn’t allowed to buy an expensive fake bird to put in her huge mansion. The wealth divide has never been bigger in this country. We live in hell.

132h ago

claudia 🕸️

@claudiiiii.bsky.social

no one should be caring about kelly clarkson this much in 2026

92h ago

Josh Spiegel

@mousterpiece.bsky.social

As a customer, if I asked someone in a store to buy Product A, and they said, "How about I show you Product B, which is similar but not the thing you asked to buy?", I would...probably react a bit like Kelly Clarkson did! Sheesh.

101h ago

Matt Mitovich

@mattmitovich.bsky.social

Since Art of Play simply had to say, “We apologize for any confusion and have put Kelly Clarkson in touch with the artisan who can re-create our permanent in-store display,” I must suspect something else is at play. (Don’t say art.)

101h ago

dylan

@pinkponysub.bsky.social

I’m already sooo over the Kelly Clarkson bird story NEXTTT

81h ago

a normal person (amfam roof innocent, free her)

@oilcantim.bsky.social

wait so kelly clarkson is mad bc a brooklyn store didn't let her buy their mechanical bird. that's a news story? hell yes.

81h ago

iam_erika aka Evil E

@iamerika.bsky.social

I didn’t know why everyone was talking about Kelly Clarkson and now I’m obsessed with #birdgate Didn’t they recognize her? I’d be fangirling if she came into my store.

72h ago

Jeremy Diamond ☕️

@dmnd.me

The lesson of the Kelly Clarkson spat is clear: if you are a celebrity, don’t ever get into a low-stakes misunderstanding

71h ago

2 sources

billboard.com‘Kelly Clarkson Has Put Us in Danger’: Art of Play Owner Says Viral Dispute Has Led to Threats Against NYC Store celebitchy.comArt of Play’s co-owner blasts Kelly Clarkson’s ‘reprehensible abuse of power’ – Cele|bitchy

Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop dispute escalates after security videomusic

Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn shop dispute escalates after security video

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