It was a bright Saturday in Brooklyn Heights, where tree-lined brownstones, busy parents and farmers’ market shoppers set the scene. Along Atlantic Avenue, one mother entered the offbeat toy store Art of Play with what she described as a short shopping list.

She was Kelly Clarkson—and she reportedly left without a purchase, furious. The encounter has since become an online spectacle, with social media users dubbing the dispute the “War” between Clarkson and the quirky curiosity shop. Memes and commentary quickly followed, and newly released video footage without audio has only intensified interest in the confrontation.

In a sharply worded post on X, Clarkson, 44, accused the store of refusing to sell her a $15,000 mechanical songbird named Molly. The singer compared the experience to the famous Pretty Woman scene in which Julia Roberts’ character is dismissed by an upscale boutique.

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

The reaction has left some fans and industry insiders questioning the incident. Was Clarkson genuinely treated disrespectfully—or overlooked by staff who did not recognize her? Or did the exchange reveal a more combative side of the star, challenging the warm and approachable image built through her music and daytime talk show?

The controversy has prompted comparisons with other daytime television personalities whose public personas later came under intense scrutiny. One source close to Clarkson told the Daily Mail that such a display would be surprising, saying: “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, once celebrated as television’s “queen of nice,” experienced a dramatic public downfall after former employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show accused the program of fostering a toxic workplace marked by allegations of racism, bullying and sexual harassment.

For nearly 20 years, DeGeneres ended her program with the familiar message urging viewers to “be kind to one another.” Former staff members later alleged that the host’s behavior behind the scenes did not always match that on-air message.

People familiar with DeGeneres’ working environment told the Daily Mail that she allegedly managed her household like a boot camp, set “traps” for employees and frequently acted in ways they felt were the opposite of kindness. The show remained on the air after the 2020 controversy, but an internal investigation and falling ratings preceded its conclusion. The Ellen DeGeneres Show broadcast its final episode in 2022 following 19 seasons.

That history has led some observers to ask whether Clarkson could now be experiencing 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,” the source said. “It’s weird to me.”

Still, not everyone was surprised by Clarkson’s response. A second source told the Daily Mail that the Brooklyn incident may reflect behavior some people around her have noticed before.

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

The insider claimed Clarkson behaves like a diva and carries herself as an A-list celebrity, despite arguing that she is not viewed that way by everyone. “She expects people to know who she is everywhere she goes—even when she was working at NBC New York,” the source said.

According to the NBC insider, many of Clarkson’s famous guests understood how to navigate a studio led by a major star. The source also claimed that Clarkson expected security to accompany her “at all times.”

Like DeGeneres, Clarkson also built a television career around a daytime 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.

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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.

A businessman who lost control of his Maserati in torrential rain and struck a mother-of-two sitting in a roadside lay-by has avoided a prison sentence.

Ronald Dowling, 66, was travelling at 76mph along the A4042 in Pontypool, Gwent, when he hit Sharon Berry, 54, in October 2023.

The father-of-five had overtaken another vehicle in what were described as “terrible” conditions before his £70,000 sports car aquaplaned. The crash also left both of his passengers seriously injured.

Dowling’s Maserati Ghibli skidded across the waterlogged road and smashed into Mrs Berry’s Audi, where she had been waiting for the “biblical downpour” to pass. She died from her injuries three months later.

Dowling’s wife, Kim, a grandmother-of-ten, suffered devastating injuries and now needs a wheelchair. His other passenger, Jane Beedell, was placed in an induced coma after sustaining serious injuries.

At court this week, Dowling admitted responsibility for Mrs Berry’s death but was spared an immediate custodial sentence.

He received a 27-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and must complete 250 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for four years and ordered to pay £1,630 in costs.

Passing sentence, Judge Celia Hughes said: “Sharon Berry was simply sitting in her car by the roadside that day. Her death was completely senseless in every aspect of the word.”

The judge added: “No sentence I can pass can bring Mrs Berry back or lessen the pain experienced by her family and friends.”

The court heard that Dowling had been able to buy the Maserati through the success of his business, which installed specialist flooring in shopping centres and stadiums across Britain.

Since the collision, he has become his wife’s full-time carer. Kim Dowling required several operations after suffering a fractured neck and punctured lung.

Dowling had been driving his friend Jane Beedell to a hospital appointment when the crash happened. She suffered numerous injuries, including fractures to her neck and back and a brain haemorrhage.

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In a victim impact statement, Ms Beedell said she now depends on care and was forced to leave her Civil Service career after 48 years because of the lasting effects of her injuries.

Mrs Berry’s family said she had been looking forward to becoming a grandmother when she died and remembered her as someone who was “full of love and laughter”.

Her son Luke said: “There are countless times when I have picked up my phone wanting to call my mum, whether to share good news, ask her advice or simply hear her voice, then the reality hits that she is no longer there and the loss feels as painful as ever.”

Lorraine Ashton, Mrs Berry’s sister, described the mother-of-two’s time in hospital as a period of “hope, fear and uncertainty”.

She said: “We desperately wanted her to recover but she never came home. Memories of those weeks will stay with me forever.

“The pain of losing her is something I carry with me every day. Her death has affected every part of my life. There will always be an empty space, an empty place, where Sharon should be.”

Dowling, from Caerphilly, is said to suffer with PTSD, anxiety and sleep problems due to the effects of the crash and is now the carer for his wife. 

He admitted causing death by careless driving and two charges of causing serious injury by careless driving at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.  

David Whittaker, defending, said: ‘His remorse is genuine. He has not suffered in the way the families of Jane Beedell and Sharon Berry’s have but every time he looks at his wife, every day, he is reminded of what he did.’

Ms Hughes, the judge, added: ‘In the seconds before the impact you were speeding at over 70 miles per hour for three seconds before the impact with the parked car.

‘You were doing 50mph at the impact after aquaplaning in standing water on the dual carriageway following several downpours of biblical proportions that day.

‘Your careless driving, speeding in terrible road conditions has had devastating consequences for all the people who have attended court today and no doubt more widely too.

‘The consequences of your behaviour will, and frankly should, live with you forever.’

Russell Brand was portrayed in court as a ruthless alleged sexual predator with a “voracious” appetite for sex, who pursued an ambition to sleep with 5,000 women, jurors were told today.

Prosecutors described the comedian and actor as a calculated, manipulative alleged rapist who spent a decade assaulting women and viewing them as a way to fulfil what they called his “insatiable desire”.

Brand, 51, denies three rape charges, three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent assault involving six women between 1999 and 2009.

At the opening of the high-profile trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, jurors heard that the “child-like” television star allegedly used comedy and charm to draw women in. He was said to perform silly walks, likened to Basil Fawlty, before allegedly attacking his victims “like an animal”.

The court heard that Brand, a married father of two, regularly boasted about his sexual success, describing himself as an “expert pick-up artist”, a womaniser and a ladies’ man. Prosecutors said he spoke of wanting to “bed 5,000 women in my lifetime” and claimed: “All you have to do is tell them what they need to hear.”

Riel Karmy-Jones KC, prosecuting, told jurors that Brand would mock women who rejected him, suggesting they were being a “spoilsport” by refusing his advances.

She said: “The defendant was not deterred. His desire for some form of sexual contact was indiscriminate and voracious.

“He could be kind when he chose, funny, undoubtedly charming and likeable whenever he wanted something in return.

“But he was also demanding and entitled, a flirt with an enormous sexual appetite, and childlike in expecting every desire to be satisfied.

“He was ruthless, calculated and manipulative, and the prosecution says he was a sexual predator.”

Jurors heard that as Brand’s acting career advanced and he became a Hollywood star, his celebrity status allegedly allowed him to carry out sexual attacks openly. One woman’s complaint was reportedly dismissed by television executives.

Friends allegedly described Brand as “rampant in his desire to score sex”, with what prosecutors characterised as an “insatiable desire” to get what he wanted from whoever he wanted, treating women “as if they were nothing”.

The first alleged incident is said to have taken place in 1999, involving a woman attending the Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.

Prosecutors allege that Brand took the woman to a hotel room after meeting her at a show where he had been performing.

The woman was reportedly surprised to discover Brand partly undressed and “prancing around the room”, performing silly walks compared in court to an ostrich and Basil Fawlty.

Brand allegedly told her: “It’s OK, it’s just how I am, don’t worry. I’m mostly naked at home,” before asking her to take photographs of him posing topless, the court heard.

 Ms Karmy-Jones said Brand pushed the woman onto the bed and raped her.

The prosecutor said: ‘She remembers the weight of him on top of her, she couldn’t move, and was finding it hard to breathe, but recalls trying not to let him kiss her, and saying ‘no’.

‘She was scared. He groped her, was touching her, he grabbed her breasts, he was trying to kiss her, he was putting his fingers in her mouth and doing things with his tongue that were horrible, lizard-like.’

Afterwards, Brand is alleged to have made excuses for how quick things had been before claiming he had to get back to his mother, leaving the victim crying in shock.

Brand’s former friend Mark Pinheiro told jurors that the comedian had rushed to leave the area, ‘cowering’ in the back seat of a car when he heard police sirens.

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Later, the defendant allegedly told Mr Pinheiro: ‘I think I may have gone a bit too far.’

Two years later, a ‘desperate wild-eyed’ Brand is accused of trying to drag an MTV worker into a toilet cubicle after she complimented him on his t-shirt.

In 2004 he is alleged to have orally raped a woman at a bar after groping her within minutes of them meeting during a birthday party.

The former Big Brother presenter is said to have told the woman, ‘Oh come on don’t be a spoilsport’ when she protested to him, ‘I don’t want to do this.’

Brand is accused of carrying out a fourth attack on a woman at a radio station around 2004.

The court heard he grabbed the victim in her 20s, pushed her up against a wall and kissed her ‘sloppily and aggressively’, grabbing the woman’s breasts and buttocks during a ‘rough, fast and frenzied’ assault.

When he was pushed off, Brand sniggered ‘like it was a joke’, jurors heard.

The prosecutor said: ‘These women meant nothing to him.’

A fifth victim met Brand backstage following a Hammersmith Apollo gig in 2009 after he allegedly told the audience: ‘You probably can have sex with me… My age range is from 16 to death.’

The starstruck fan said she was selected to take part in a ‘threesome’ from a queue of women.

The following day, the 21-year-old woman was invited to the home of Brand, who was then 33.

He allegedly anally raped her, shoving her face into a pillow as she begged him to stop before ordering her to ‘clean up the mess you have made’.

The traumatised woman later received an apology by text after she told Brand: ‘You treated me like an animal,’ the court heard.

The final alleged victim, a Channel 4 worker, claims she was sexually assaulted in 2009 after being told by his entourage to give Brand a massage.

Mr Pinheiro told jurors that Brand had ‘boasted’ of wanting to sleep with 5,000 women and shared his tips for ‘pulling girls’.

During a preview of Brand’s 2013 comedy show Messiah Complex, Brand allegedly told him: ‘What you are about to see is some real rock and roll s***.’

The star is then said to have selected girls lined up against a wall, taking each to the toilets for 10 minutes.

The prosecutor said: ‘His MO [modus operandi] was varied. Sometimes he might tell women what they wanted to hear, sometimes he might have appeared interested in their cause, sometimes he might even have made sexual advances within minutes of meeting them, but every time he had identified his target, he was intent on trying to fulfil his sexual desire.’

One friend, Andrew Dobson, said simply: ‘Women and sex were a goal and an obsession.’

The six alleged victims only came forward in 2025 after claims of sexual misconduct were reported in a newspaper and TV documentary.

During interviews, Brand told police that all his sexual contact was consensual.

He said he could not recall his accusers and claimed they had ‘reimagined’ the encounters.

Today, Brand, of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, sat in the dock dressed in a black suit and tightly clutching a silver cross in his right hand. He showed no emotion as the details of the charges were read out.

The trial continues.