Kelly Clarkson's 'Pretty Woman' drama: shop slams her in major interview
"We've raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $21 million aud."
Just days after US singer and host Kelly Clarkson told the world that she got ‘Pretty Woman’ treatment at a shop, Adam Rubin, one of three owners, spoke to New York magazine to discuss its very different version of events.
“This is an insane misunderstanding,” Rubin said of the now-viral incident that apparently happened at Art of Play in Brooklyn.
"Nothing happened in this shop to justify her scolding our shopkeeper on the way out, but I can let that go. You know, everybody has a bad day.
"But things changed when she used her platform to attack us."
The internationally successful singer, 44, complained about her treatment in a post on X on October 10. She claimed she was "literally was looked at as if I couldn't afford it" when she asked about the $15 000 Molly automaton on their wall.
Clarkson said that the salesperson offered to find her a comparable item instead. She then likened the experience to the iconic Julia Roberts shop rejection moment in the movie Pretty Woman.
Art of Play responded in a statement on Instagram the next day, and said that Clarkson inquired about a "one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton" named Molly, who they said is "permanently attached to the wall and isn't for sale."
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
But the response was rebuffed by Clarkson, who later shared that there was literally a price tag on Molly, and expressed further disappointment at the store's handling of her complaint.
Kelly Clarkson causes price of Art of Play product to skyrocket
New York magazine asked for confirmation that Molly was for sale. Rubin didn't confirm directly, but said the item's price had been increased.
"So many people asked about it that we had put a price on it, but we talked to the creator when he came to fix the machine, and if someone showed serious interest, we would reach out to him about getting them an automaton.
"As you've noticed, we've raised the price due to popular demand. It now costs $15 million ($21m AUD)," Rubin said.
Time will tell if Clarkson feels the need to double down, again.
More from Mediaweek
The leading media trade publication in Australia.
Get our top stories straight to your inbox daily by signing up to our Newsletter
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
