Kelly Clarkson’s Viral Feud With Brooklyn Magic Shop Escalates After Shop Rejects Her Claim She Was Treated Like a Prostitute
Kelly Clarkson’s Viral Feud With Brooklyn Magic Shop Escalates After Shop Rejects Her Claim She Was Treated Like a Prostitute
Sean JamesSun, October 11, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTC
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(Photos via: @KellyClarkson on X and ArtOfPlay.com)
The Brooklyn shop that Kelly Clarkson bashed on social media and suggested treated her like a prostitute responded to the singer on Sunday, saying it was now being “suddenly attacked” by her fans after she completely mischaracterized her interaction with an employee.
Art of Play, which on its websites says it sells “magical home goods, puzzles, games, toys, and books,” pushed back against Clarkson’s gripe in an Instagram post. A day earlier, Clarkson slammed the shop on X.
“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,” Clarkson posted to her 8.8 million followers. “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.”
Clarkson added the thumbs down emoji at the end of her post.
But Art of Play said her tale was warped and left out key context.
“Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here. Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale,” Art of Play posted. “However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.”
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The post continued:
At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to “pick things up and play.” And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys.
Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.
Art of Play added it would like to thank everyone who has supported the store “amidst the drama.” It also said it welcomed any “curious folks” who had just heard about the shop after Clarkson’s complaint. It then made a cheeky reference to her 2011 hit “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” as it closed out the response.
“We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday,” the store added. “As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.'”
The back-and-forth comes after Clarkson’s initial post received a ton of media coverage, including from outlets like Fox News, US Weekly, and USA Today.
After Art of Play’s response, Fox News star Greg Gutfeldslammed Clarkson for peddling a “story of victimhood when her money and or status couldn’t persuade” the store to sell her an item that wasn’t for sale.
The shop’s response also comes after it was hit with a blitz of bad reviews and comments online, which appears to have made Art of Play turn off its comments on all of its Instagram posts.
“Walked in and the worker told me that the homeless shelter was a few blocks down,” one reviewer posted on Google. “Really lost out on a big purchase, shame on you!”
The post Kelly Clarkson’s Viral Feud With Brooklyn Magic Shop Escalates After Shop Rejects Her Claim She Was Treated Like a Prostitute first appeared on Mediaite.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
