As it turns out, it really does seem like Kelly Clarkson just loves birds. The singer has been the main character for more than a week now, thanks to her imbroglio with a Brooklyn novelty store called Art of Play, following her claims that an employee refused to sell her a musical bird named Molly that she wanted.
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As noted by Rolling Stone, in the midst of the back-and-forth between the “High Road” singer and the shop’s owner, Clarkson’s collection of holiday items with Wayfair appeared to have an unintentionally timely pair of SKUs: a pair of bird-related items, seemingly proving Clarkson’s ornithology jones was no coincidence. (Since the RS story was posted on Friday, Oct. 15, the listing for the items was briefly offline, replaced with a message that read, “Seems Like We’ve Rearranged Some Furniture.” They are now back up, but are listed under the “Season Abode” tag, with no tie to the Clarkson collection.)
Among the items RS reported were originally up for sale under the Kelly Clarkson Home banner were a brushed metal bird ornament set featuring six “delicately sculpted” birds with subtle vine detailing. A description on the Wayfair site reads, “Each bird ornament is designed with a graceful silhouette and includes a soft ribbon hanger for easy and stylish placement,” noting that the metallic finish “adds a refined shimmer to Christmas trees, garlands or wreaths.”
There was also a 4″ iron Cardinals bird shatterproof holiday-shaped ornament set of six, described as “crafted from durable iron with a festive metallic finish and adorned with a small star pattern” to “add a whimsical touch to your holiday decor.”
Neither item is currently listed on the expansive 100-plus-item Kelly Clarkson Home collection on the Wayfair site. In a statement to Billboard on Friday, a spokesperson for the company said that Clarkson is a “longtime partner of Wayfair” and added that the products in her collection “were curated three months ago and are not new to Wayfair”; Clarkson launched her signature collection on the site in 2020.
The spokesperson has not responded to Billboard‘s follow-up questions about whether Clarkson’s past collections have included bird-themed items, why they were briefly removed from the site and what prompted their re-categorization.
The drama around Molly the bird began on Oct. 10 when Clarkson called out Art of Play after saying she drove out to Brooklyn to check out the store, and claimed that she was eyeing a few items when a clerk allegedly “looked at [me] as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me.”
The thumbs-down review of the shop prompted a response from Art of Play, which posted messages from customers defending it, followed by the store’s version of events a day later. “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,” the store wrote. “Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.”
The shop also pushed back against Clarkson’s version of events, saying all patrons are welcome, then lamented that the singer’s harsh statement had caused unwanted attention. The star then doubled-down on her claims, sharing a grainy picture she said showed the bird on display next to a $15,000 price tag. “So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar,” Clarkson said in a social media post.
The back-and-forth has spawned a torrent of hilarious memes, as well as an open invite from Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s Garage Beer brand to visit their spot anytime. The latest wrinkle arrived on Wednesday (Oct. 14), when a new episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out exclusively obtained and revealed security video of the singer’s interaction with Art of Play’s staff, and broke down the five-minute visit to the shop in detail.