Singer Kelly Clarkson got into a feud with a Brooklyn toy store called Art of Play after a brief conversation about purchasing a mechanical singing bird named “Molly.” Some of the debate centered on whether the bird was for sale, since a $15,000 price tag was on display next to it. Now, comedian and “The Daily Show” host Josh Johnson is weighing in with his take.
What Is The Kelly Clarkson Feud About?
Recently released video footage shows Clarkson visiting the Brooklyn toy shop for less than five minutes. She seemed interested in purchasing Molly, the animatronic bird mounted on the wall. She claims that the store gave her the “Pretty Woman” treatment and told her followers on X that they lost a huge sale.
Art of Play said the bird wasn’t for sale, but that the artist, based in Seattle, could make her an identical one for $15,000. The store claims an employee offered to show her a cheaper version she could take home that day, but alleges Clarkson stormed out.
Things went back and forth, with many fans weighing in with their take on social media. Surveillance footage of her short visit was later released online. Although it doesn’t include audio, it shows Clarkson was only in the shop for a few minutes.
Shop co-owner Adam Rubin said the store has received harassing messages after Clarkson’s tweets and raised the price of Molly to fifteen million.
Josh Johnson Addresses The Kelly Clarkson Feud
On October 20, Johnson posted a video of his stand-up routine recorded at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “I can tell you right now, I’ve been living good and eating good for like six days off this Kelly Clarkson going to this Brooklyn toy store,” Johnson joked at the beginning of his segment about the singer’s viral feud.
He then recapped the events and tried to explain the plot of “Pretty Woman” to the crowd before admitting, “I also haven’t seen Pretty Woman.”
Johnson then described the store’s behavior as “rude,” saying, “Just because she’s in plain clothes, just cause she’s chilling, people look her up and down like she can’t afford it and say I’mma show you something cheaper. That’s wild. You know?”
“And I think anybody who’s ever had a bad experience at a store could immediately like put themselves in that situation,” he continued. “I’ll tell you right now, I live in Brooklyn, and if I took y’all to Brooklyn, there are stores you wouldn’t believe.”
“I could take you to stores in Brooklyn where they will do that thing that Kelly Clarkson’s talking about. Give you the elevator eyes, look you up and down, and act like you don’t have any money or any business being here,” he continued. “But when you look at them, they’re dressed the same as you.”
Josh Johnson Says The Store’s Response Shows They Were ‘Rude’
He then took aim at the shop’s first response to Clarkson, which quoted one of her lyrics: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“And look, look, look. This is just me. I’m not telling you how to feel. This is just me. When I read that, I was like, no, y’all were rude,” Johnson concluded. “Y’all were definitely rude. No, I can feel it.”
“I can feel just the way you ended it. You didn’t even have to end it like that. Like I felt bad for you for a second, and then you did that,” he continued. “That though… You were rude at the time.”
‘You Made It Sounds Like Kelly Clarkson Walked In And Was Trying To Buy The Cash Register’
Johnson then recapped how Clarkson called the store a liar, and the store replied by insisting they explained the situation with the Seattle-based artist and tried to offer her a cheaper product she could take home that day.
“But none of that is what you said initially,” Johnson pointed out. “Like, that, like, you know what you did. You tried to make it sound like Kelly Clarkson walked in and tried to just buy something that would be crazy to buy cause it wasn’t for sale.”
“Like, you made it sound like Kelly Clarkson walked in and was trying to buy the cash register,” he joked.
He went on to say the store’s response was “purposely misleading” and noted that the store kept speaking out while Clarkson stayed silent about the issue. He also noted that it was “weird” to put something up for fifteen thousand as a “joke.”
“I think you could forgive Kelly for seeing a price tag and assuming that it was for sale,” he continued. “Whenever I go in the grocery store, I’m not like, they probably don’t actually want to sell these tomatoes. I think they put $2.99 just to be coy.”
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