Kelly Clarkson has become embroiled in a public feud with a Brooklyn games shop over a mechanical singing bird apparently priced at $US15,000.
The singer criticised Art of Play after claiming staff treated her as though she could not afford the item and suggested an alternative purchase instead.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale,” Clarkson wrote on X.
Art of Play rejected her account, saying Clarkson had attempted to buy Molly, a singing toy bird that was not for sale.
The shop said the bird was “permanently attached to the wall” and formed part of its magic shows. It also denied that Clarkson had been treated differently, insisting that everyone was “equally welcome” in the store.
Clarkson later shared an image of the bird which appeared to show a $US15,000 price tag, and disputed the claim that it was unavailable to buy.
In a lengthy response, the former talk show host accused the business of lying.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” she said.
“So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
Clarkson added: “And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things.”
In a further statement, Art of Play said it had explained that a “nearly identical automation” could be bought directly from the artist for $US15,000.
The shop also said it had offered to show Clarkson a different singing bird automaton made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany. That bird cost about $US2,000 and could have been taken home that day, but the shop said Clarkson “did not stick around long enough to see it”.
Art of Play said it had contacted Clarkson directly in an effort to resolve the dispute, adding that it hoped the incident could eventually be viewed as a misunderstanding.
The row has divided social media users, with some accusing the Brooklyn shop of being untruthful about whether the mechanical bird was for sale.
