Celebrity3 min(s) read
CCTV footage of Kelly Clarkson interacting with Brooklyn store owner in 'Pretty Woman' moment released - sparks huge debate
Kelly Clarkson's failed attempt to buy a beloved $15,000 animatronic bird from a Brooklyn store, in what the star called a real life Pretty Woman moment, has set the internet alight.
Now, the CCTV footage that captured Clarkson's interaction with the store's owners over their mechanical bird has been revealed.
The first American Idol winner, who was topped charts worldwide with hits like 'Since U Been Gone' and 'My Life Would Suck Without You', has never been one to complain on social media - but her feud with Brooklyn-based Art of Play over a robotic bird called Molly is changing that.
For the first time, however, we can now see exactly what happened in the shop when Clarkson visited to purchase the bird.
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Clarkson seen "gesticulating" before owner in new CCTV footage
Footage of Kelly Clarkson's visit to the Brooklyn-based Art of Play was obtained and released by independent journalist Pablo Torre on X.
The clip, which lasts for 4 minutes and 50 seconds, does not include audio - but does show Clarkson entering Art of Play and first picking up what looks to be a kaleidoscope from a shelf before making her way through the store.
Clarkson can be seen observing the mechanical bird, Molly, that she wants to buy, before she begins speaking to an employee, who Torre confirmed is actually Tom, the shop's owner.
After a brief interaction between the two, the owner points Clarkson in a different direction. Clarkson then walks back through the shop to the exit, but not before gesticulating towards the owner as two other employees look on.
In external camera footage outside of the shop, Clarkson can then be seen to pull her phone out and begin typing.
According to the timestamps on the footage released by Torre, Clarkson's first tweet about her experience at Art of Play was posted just 15 minutes after.
What happened after Kelly Clarkson's Pretty Woman moment in Brooklyn store?
The bird automaton in question, called Molly, is a beloved institution at the Art of Play and is the opening act for many close-up magic shows that the store hosts after its normal opening hours.
Despite the $15,000 price tag on the bot, the store itself has said that Molly is "permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.”
Explaining the tense conversation with Clarkson, the store said that while that bird wasn't for sale, they suggested a "twin" to the robot was available from its creator in Seattle, or they offered her the chance to purchase a different robot bird for $2,000.
Clarkson wasn't satisfied with this either, it seems, as she returned to social media to post an Instagram Story of her visit to Art of Play, where Molly is seen with a price tag for $15,000 seemingly confirming her stance that the bird was actually for sale all along.
Since this, the owners of Art of Play have jokingly now raised the price of the singing robot to $15 million following interest in the case.
A source from Clarkson's camp told People that such public feuding was unusual for the star, who "[was] clearly so ticked off that she couldn’t keep quiet about it. Everyone is surprised by how much this whole thing has escalated."