Paul Rudd Seen Window Shopping at Brooklyn Store Kelly Clarkson Called Out Over $15K Mechanical Bird

Angel SaundersThu, October 22, 2026 at 2:41 AM UTC

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Paul Rudd; Kelly ClarksonCredit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty;Art Streiber/NBC -

Paul Rudd is checking out Art of Play days after its viral encounter with singer Kelly Clarkson

The Ant-Man alum was photographed peering into the Brooklyn-based small business on Wednesday, Oct. 21

An Art of Play owner previously told PEOPLE that Clarkson is welcome back anytime after the social media controversy

Paul Rudd is seemingly curious about the $15,000 mechanical bird that has everyone buzzing.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Ant-Man alum, 57, was photographed taking a peek into Art of Play, a Brooklyn-based small business that sells home goods, after it recently went viral when Kelly Clarkson alleged she received the Pretty Woman treatment while shopping.

In the images, Rudd casually stopped by the store and looked in from the outside for a few moments before continuing on his way.

Paul Rudd at Art of Play, a store in Brooklyn where Kelly Clarkson says she was treated poorlyCredit: BACKGRID

The initial drama unfolded on Oct. 10 when the “Since U Been Gone” singer, 44, said via social media that she “drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad.”

Clarkson added that she had every intention of making multiple purchases, but instead “was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me.”

“Wow, dude. 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,” Clarkson wrote on X, adding a thumbs-down emoji.

In the 1990 rom-com, Roberts’ character Vivian, who was hired by Richard Gere’s Edward Lewis as a Hollywood sex worker, attempted to purchase clothing at an upscale boutique, but the salesperson refused to help.

After buying her designer clothes elsewhere, Vivian later returned with shopping bags in tow, asking the employee if they got paid in commission.

“Big mistake. Big. Huge!” Vivian famously replied in the film.

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During Clarkson’s visit, she inquired about a dancing bird automaton named Molly, which she said was priced at $15,000.

After Art of Play was called out online for its alleged treatment of the Kelly Clarkson Show host, Adam Rubin, one of the store’s three owners, spoke to New York magazine on Oct. 13, saying Molly is now priced at $15 million following the controversy.

“This is an insane misunderstanding,” Rubin said of the Grammy winner’s X posts. “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.”

Kelly Clarkson posing at a SiriusXM event on February 20, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM

The store previously responded in a statement on Instagram and said that Clarkson asked about a “one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton” named Molly, that was “permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.”

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“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,” Rubin said.

Clarkson disputed Rubin’s version of the incident, sharing a photo of the $15,000 price tag that was placed near Molly, seemingly confirming that the bird had been marked for sale.

A day after the interview was published, Rubin told PEOPLE that Clarkson is “welcome anytime” at his store.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”