Raven-Symoné is standing up for Kelly Clarkson as the singer continues to face backlash and debate over her dispute with Brooklyn store Art of Play.
“I think that it is unfair that just because she has that many followers she’s not allowed to express how she feels about what happened to her,” the 40-year-old actress said during the Wednesday, October 14, episode of The View. Reflecting on Clarkson’s viral controversy, Raven-Symoné recalled her own experience on the show in 2016, when she spoke about feeling disrespected on a red carpet. “It went viral because people were like, ‘Raven, that’s not what happened,’ when they watched the video,” she said.
Raven-Symoné was referring to the 2016 Zoolander 2 premiere, where she felt she was shoved and pushed aside on the red carpet to make room for Kendall Jenner. The That’s So Raven alum said that experience helped her understand why Clarkson may have felt hurt by her interaction at Art of Play.
“And I would say to those watching me and to those listening to Kelly, our experience about the situation may not resonate with you the same way it resonated with me,” she explained. “You don’t know my past, you don’t know what I’ve been through.”
Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin said he was stunned by the fallout from Kelly Clarkson’s critical post about his Brooklyn store. “Honestly, I have no experience with this. I have no idea how we move forward with it,” Rubin told 1010 WINS on 92.3 FM on Tuesday, October 13. “I […]
The controversy began last weekend, when 44-year-old Clarkson said she was “treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman” while shopping at Art of Play. She was interested in buying an animatronic bird named Molly, but the store allegedly told her that particular model was not for sale and offered to locate a comparable item. The bird reportedly cost $15,000, a price that has since been raised to $15 million amid the dispute.
Raven-Symoné also pointed to Clarkson’s life before she became famous by winning American Idol, noting that the singer came from a different financial background.
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“Kelly grew up not with a lot of money so if somebody is touching her trigger button about wealth or money, you don’t know how she received that,” she said. “I saw the [security footage] video too and I feel like if you treated her like every other person who came into that store you’re telling everyone that they can’t afford it. You don’t know my bank account, you don’t know what my savings and checking account are doing.”
She also addressed Adam Rubin’s claim that Clarkson’s viral post placed the Art of Play store and its employees in danger.
Kelly Clarkson is refusing to “Breakaway” from her dispute with the Brooklyn store over what she described as a Pretty Woman-style encounter. “Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with,” the 44-year-old singer wrote on X Sunday, October 11, after the boutique responded to her claims.
“Kelly put you in danger? Kelly didn’t … that’s the internet,” the Disney star said. “The internet goes crazy when somebody says something. Kelly didn’t say go and attack them. I read the tweet, she didn’t say that at all.”
Raven-Symoné said she could not “believe he blamed her” for the reaction.
“She didn’t send a mob out to you. The mob was already on the internet, ready to retaliate,” she added.