‘Karen’ Kelly Clarkson declared ‘the new Ellen’ as insiders lay bare toxic details… and say Brooklyn store tantrum is just the tip of the iceberg of her ‘diva’ behavior

It was a sunny Saturday in the brownstone-lined, affluent neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights. Parents pushed strollers and toted their fresh farmer’s market finds. On Atlantic Avenue, one mom walked through the door of a quirky toy shop with ‘a few things in mind to buy.’

But instead of leaving with shopping bags, Kelly Clarkson left in a fit of indignant rage. And so began what social media has now dubbed the ‘War’ between Clarkson and eccentric curiosity shop, Art of Play – a skirmish that has spawned memes and column inches. Adding fuel to the bonfire, on Tuesday evening, video footage of the incident – minus any audio – was posted online. Certainly the furor shows no sign of fading any time soon.

In a blistering tweet, Clarkson, 44, blasted the store for allegedly refusing to sell her a $15,000 mechanical song bird named Molly. The multimillionaire singer drew parallels between herself and Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman, specifically the famous scene where the prostitute is rejected from a high-end retailer.

‘Literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,’ Clarkson wrote on X. ‘Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.’

Her scorn has shocked fans and insiders alike. Was this Kelly the crusader? Rudely and unfairly treated – perhaps, whisper it, not recognized by the store staff. Or was this Kelly the Karen? A diva simmering beneath the affable exterior which has earned her a loyal fanbase for not only her singing but her eponymous television chat show.

It is a version of the star that has drawn unfortunate and unflattering comparisons. After all, Clarkson would hardly be the first seemingly loveable daytime host to be stripped of her crown in the most humiliating fashion. One source close to the star told the Daily Mail: ‘She was always so nice. It will be weird to me if that was a facade and she’s going to turn into another Ellen.’

Ellen DeGeneres, of course, suffered one of the most catastrophic falls from grace when the so-called ‘queen of nice’ was accused by former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show of creating a ‘toxic’ workplace where racism, bullying and sexual harassment were abundant.

For almost two decades, DeGeneres closed her daily talk show the same way – with a smile and reminder to ‘be kind to one another.’ But when the cameras stopped rolling, the host was not one to follow her own advice, staffers claimed.

Sources close to DeGeneres told the Daily Mail that the comedian ran her household like a bootcamp, ‘laying traps’ for workers, and ‘always chose the opposite’ of kindness when it came to her staff. Her show continued to air after the 2020 scandal, but a company investigation and decline in ratings ultimately led to its end. The Ellen DeGeneres Show taped its final episode in 2022 after a 19-season run.

Now, some are wondering if Clarkson is facing her own Ellen moment.

‘She was so critical of Ellen and was like, “I don’t talk to people like that. Ever.” And now she’s attacking a small business,’ our source said. ‘It’s weird to me.’

But not everyone has expressed shock at the latest developments. Another source told the Daily Mail that this outburst has been a long time coming.

‘This isn’t surprising one bit,’ an NBC insider told the Daily Mail.

‘She acts like a diva and very much walks around like she’s an A-list celebrity even though she’s really not,’ the insider said. ‘She expects people to know who she is everywhere she goes – even when she was working at NBC New York.’

The insider said that while many of Clarkson’s celebrity guests knew how to act around a famous host, the singer demanded that she have security escort her around ‘at all times.’

Like DeGeneres, Clarkson had her own variety talk show.

The Kelly Clarkson Show aired for seven seasons on NBC from September 2019 to August 2026. The mom of two announced in February that she was stepping away to spend more time with her daughter River, 12, and son, Remy, 10, both of whom she shares with her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

In 2020, Clarkson filed for divorce after nearly seven years of marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2022. Three years later, in August 2025, Blackstock, a talent manager and the former stepson of Reba McEntire, died from melanoma at age 48.

But, however tragic the reasons for Clarkson’s step back, some staffers, according to our insider, were glad to see that her show would conclude after its seven-season run.

‘I would say yes, some people are happy that she’s no longer in the building. There’s definitely a different vibe,’ they said.

On Sunday, Art of Play said Clarkson’s lashing out made them the subject of attacks 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 wrote in an Instagram post.

Loyal neighbors and customers have all rushed to defend the shop – which prides itself on its ‘unique collection of magical home goods, puzzles, games, toys and books,’ per its website – describing its owners as ‘wonderfully kind’ and ‘lovely.’

‘They are patient with children and never judge people who pop in to play and leave without buying anything,’ an anonymous customer, who said they’ve been to Art of Play dozens of times, told the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Art of Play has pushed back on Clarkson’s claims of rude treatment, saying that despite being displayed next to a $15,000 price tag, the ‘one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird’ that the singer was after is ‘permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale.’

But Clarkson seems unwilling to let the subject go.

The Texas native returned to X again on Sunday to criticize the store for spinning a ‘narrative’ that the animatronic bird was not for sale.

‘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,’ Clarkson wrote in another tweet.

‘That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar.’

The singer went on to say that she ‘obviously’ supports small businesses, but that she would not give small businesses ‘a free pass’ to treat people poorly.

On Tuesday, Adam Rubin, one of the co-owners of Art of Play, told USA Today that he now fears for the safety of his shopkeepers, stating plainly: ‘Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger.’

Rubin said Clarkson was in the store ‘for less than five minutes’ on Saturday and that his employees ‘treated her like a normal person’ during her visit, ‘but apparently that did not live up to her expectations.’

‘If it is this intense to be merely mentioned by Kelly Clarkson, I can only imagine how intense it is to be Kelly Clarkson every single day,’ Rubin said.

Still, in the wake of the controversy, Art of Play has capitalized on its newfound profile, increasing the price of Molly from $15,000 to $15 million ‘due to popular demand.’

Rubin later clarified that if a customer was willing to pay that price for the bird, the shop would be willing to part with it and pay each employee $15,000 and Bliss Kolb, the artist behind the bird, $1 million.

Other sources who spoke with the Daily Mail have refuted the claims surrounding the star, saying that Clarkson is ‘not a diva at all.’

‘She is not stuck up, she is pure Texas,’ a source close to Clarkson previously told the Daily Mail.

‘She’s still the Kelly everyone knows and loves, but she’s not willing to take anyone’s crap.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives of Clarkson for comment.

But if it’s an apology the Art of Play is after, it seems they can whistle for it.