Surveillance footage released in Kelly Clarkson Brooklyn store dispute

Surveillance footage of Kelly Clarkson’s five-minute Saturday visit to a Brooklyn novelty shop has been released. The clip is grainy and has no sound.

The podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” exclusively obtained it after her complaint about a $15,000 mechanical bird went viral, CNN reported. Good Morning America posted the material on YouTube on October 14, 2026, titled “Store surveillance footage in Kelly Clarkson dispute released.” The channel’s description says ABC News’ Lara Spencer has the latest on the dispute and that store surveillance of the exchange was shared overnight by a podcast. CNN’s own segment runs 1 minute 50 seconds; that story published at 12:04 p.m. EDT the same day. The network said the footage is mute and that it is not clear how it was obtained.

Clarkson, the singer and television host who won the first season of American Idol, posted that Art of Play treated her as if she could not afford the bird. “Y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman,” she wrote. She followed with another line: “I never blast people but you my friend were an exception.” Reporting on the full security video timed that first post to about 15 minutes after she left.

Art of Play, a magic and games shop in Cobble Hill, gave a different account. The wooden bird, named Molly, is permanently attached to the wall and is not for sale, the store said. During the visit an employee suggested she could buy an identical bird for $15,000. Staff also offered a different singing bird for $2,000 from a German clock-making shop, available the same day. “Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by eight million people who have never visited our store,” Art of Play said. “It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity.”

ABC News reporter Yi-Jin Yu wrote that the video appears to show the moments leading up to the social media complaint. In that account, Clarkson wears a yellow hoodie and baseball cap. She browses items, tests a kaleidoscope and examines Molly. She waves at an employee about the bird, sets the kaleidoscope down and moves toward the exit, then turns back to speak to a cashier. Neither Clarkson nor the store immediately replied to ABC News. Separate reporting described an employee pointing during the exchange and exterior footage of Clarkson taking out her phone after she left.