“The View” hosts weighed into Kelly Clarkson’s “nuclear” debacle with Brooklyn novelty store Art of Play.
The ladies discussed the viral back-and-forth on Monday’s episode of “The View” after Clarkson took to X (formerly Twitter) this weekend to call out her experience at the store, in which she alleges she was treated as if she couldn’t afford to shop there. The singer compared her experience to Julia Roberts’ character Vivian Ward in “Pretty Woman,” resulting in a posting duel between herself and the establishment.
The “View” panel debated whether or not the incident should have been taken to social media, with Sara Haines opining, “I’m guessing that probably happened to her, but I think when you go nuclear and put it on social media, you’re no longer looking for a solution, because each party is defending themselves.”
Haines added that such situations result in a “tit-for-tat fight,” and end up “becoming negative.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin said that she understood the initial posts, but not the back-and-forth that the celebrity and store then engaged in.
Meanwhile, Ana Navarro took a larger issue with it all.
“When my planes get delayed, when my planes get canceled and I’m stuck at the airport, sometimes I want to rage tweet, but then I remember all the people who live off of of the airline and are employed and how silly it looks,” Navarro said.
“When you have a platform of millions of followers … you have to be careful because it’s an uneven wielding of power and you’re hurting working people,” she continued.
Co-host Sunny Hostin added that she thinks that the problem should have been “handled privately.”
“I don’t feel great about it being on social media,” Hostin said, as Whoopi Goldberg observed that employees at the store may have had a “bad day” or “misheard” the “Since U Been Gone” singer.
“If you’re not happy, then you find another groovy store,” Goldberg said, adding that she had plans to check out Art of Play.
However, the hosts all agreed that they had had great experiences with Clarkson themselves, especially when she was a guest on the show in the past.
On Saturday, Clarkson took to X to blast the store, writing, “Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me.”
“Wow, dude,” the “American Idol” winner continued, appearing to call out a specific associate she’d interacted with. “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. For sure, check it out 👎,” she concluded to her 8.8 million social media followers.
In response, the store took to their Instagram page Sunday and said that Clarkson had inquired about buying “a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton” named Molly, who plays an “important role” in the magic shows they host and wasn’t for sale.
“At Art of Play whether someone comes in to make a purchase or simply look around for a while, they are equally welcome. We greet everyone who walks in the door with the invitation to ‘pick things up and play.’ And they do, many stay for hours enjoying our puzzles, games and toys,” the store wrote.
“Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity,” the store continued, thanking their friends and patrons for the “support.”
However, Clarkson didn’t seem too happy with the store’s statement, as she clapped back just hours later.
“Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” the “American Idol” star wrote on X.
“So the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone ‘yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can,’” Clarkson wrote.
“That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it.”
The singer also hit back at the store owners’ claim that their store had been “suddenly attacked by 8 million people.”
“By the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things,” Clarkson wrote. “I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.”
“Your store is really cool,” she concluded. “Unfortunately, you aren’t.”
On Monday, the Art of Play released another statement on the viral incident, claiming that the star was only in the store for five minutes.
“We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle,” the statement read.
“He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson,” they continued, claiming they “offered to show her a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day” for $2,000.
The singer, per the statement, “did not stick around long enough to see” the item.
“We’ve reached out to Kelly directly to try and clear the air,” the social media upload concluded. “We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding.”