Kelly Clarkson's art store incident caught on video as debate rages
The viral spat between a Brooklyn store and music superstar Kelly Clarkson continues as the store released surveillance video of the alleged incident.
Clarkson accused staff at Art of Play in Brooklyn Heights of treating her poorly, which blew up on social media.
The video has no audio but shows the interaction between Clarkson and two store employees.
Clarkson is seen walking into the store with a yellow shirt and a baseball hat on. She looks around before going over to the animatronic singing bird that she wanted to buy.
She is seen pointing to the object, which is hung on the wall. Then it looks like Clarkson calls an employee over.
They talk briefly while he leans against a counter before she walks back to the entryway of the store. When she is at the front, Clarkson turns to a person who was behind a counter and looks agitated.
The singer throws her hands up and walks out. She only spent about five minutes in the store, according to timecode on the video.
The feud began when Clarkson posted on social media that an employee at the store looked at her as if she couldn't afford the $15,000 bird.
"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," she wrote, in part.
Art of Play said the bird wasn't for sale, but staff offered to show her a different mechanical bird. Employees also said the bird's creator said he would be willing to sell Clarkson a nearly identical bird.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Art of Play owner Adam Rubin said he fears for his staff after the situation blew up.
"We are afraid for the safety of our shopkeepers. Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," he said.
The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union also spoke out, saying that whether it is a celebrity or a regular person, "no customer has the right to abuse retail workers on the floor or mobilize online harassment against them."
