What we learned from watching the Kelly Clarkson toy store security cam footage — and one question we still have
Security footage shows Kelly Clarkson browsing inside Brooklyn toy store Art of Play during the visit that sparked her public dispute with the business.
The video has no audio. : Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Video has emerged of Kelly Clarkson's viral attempt to buy an animatronic bird in a Brooklyn toy store.
It sheds more light on the incident, which has made global headlines, but doesn't have sound.
With no audio, the dispute’s key unanswered question remains: what was actually said? Kelly Clarkson’s feud with the Brooklyn toy store Art of Play has produced dueling accounts, social-media pile-ons, and now security footage.
The spat began when the singer named and shamed the store in an X post on Sunday, saying she was given the "Pretty Woman" treatment during her visit.
In return, Art of Play disputed Clarkson's account, saying she tried to buy something that wasn't for sale, and then promptly left the store when this was explained to her.
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.
You’re an idiot and just lost a… — Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026 What has followed is several days of he-said, she-said accounts and a global media frenzy — all over a $15,000 (or maybe even priceless) animatronic bird.
Exactly what happened remains somewhat unclear, but on Tuesday, journalist Pablo Torre made a break in the case when he shared what he said was security footage from Clarkson’s visit on his YouTube channel.
Business Insider has not independently verified the footage's authenticity, but key details match what reporter Ben Shimkus found during his visit to the store on Tuesday.
Shimkus filmed the store’s interior and spoke with staff during his visit.
At least two products visible in the security footage match items shown in his video.
The man behind the counter in the footage also appears to be one of the staff members Shimkus spoke with.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.businessinsider.com — the content belongs to Business Insider.
