Ruby Rose has recalled an unusually memorable encounter with American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson as the singer remains caught up in a bizarre dispute involving a mechanical bird.
Earlier this month, Clarkson became embroiled in a disagreement with a Brooklyn boutique over a singing bird worth AU$21,000. Now, Ruby, 40, has revealed the curious interaction she once had with the Since U Been Gone hitmaker.
“I know what it’s like to be Molly the bird. Many moons ago I interviewed Kelly for MTV Australia. I was so smitten by how down to earth and funny she was,” Ruby wrote on Threads.
But the interview took an unexpected turn as Clarkson prepared to leave the room, according to Ruby.
“After the interview I got up and left the room. Right before I closed the door, I heard Miss Clarkson say, ‘she was adorable, I just want to put her in my pocket and take her with me’, a reference to me,” Ruby wrote.
“I paused, and asked my producer if I could find a way to become really tiny so that I could live in Kelly’s pocket.”
Ruby Rose has recalled a bizarre encounter with American Idol singer Kelly Clarkson as the US star faces an ongoing dispute over a mechanical bird
Clarkson recently clashed with a Brooklyn boutique over a $21,000 singing bird, prompting Ruby to share her own unusual story about the performer
“My producer laughed. We left and went on to another interview, but for years I wondered what my life could have been. I feel for Molly, I really do.”
Ruby and Kelly have remained friendly within Hollywood circles, with The Meg star also making an appearance on the US presenter’s talk show in 2021.
Ruby’s story comes after Clarkson’s social media complaint about her treatment at the Art of Play store attracted more than 40 million views in just two days.
Last week, Clarkson, 44, claimed an employee at the high-end store treated her as though she could not afford its products. She compared the experience to a scene from Pretty Woman.
The singer said she had “drove all the way to Brooklyn” to visit the shop after spotting several items she wanted to buy.
However, Clarkson said she was treated with suspicion when she arrived and was made to feel that the products were beyond her budget.
“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,” she wrote online.
“Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.”
Ruby shared her unusual encounter with Kelly Clarkson on Threads
Clarkson publicly confronted the Brooklyn boutique owner over a US$15,000 singing bird, which she said she had tried to purchase from the store
Clarkson then invoked the 1990 film Pretty Woman, in which Julia Roberts plays an unrefined sex worker who is turned away from an upscale retailer in a famous scene.
“But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman,” she wrote, ending the post with a thumbs-down emoji.
The backlash prompted Art of Play to dispute the former talk show host’s story in a lengthy Instagram post, shared the following day.
The store explained that Kelly, who moved from LA to New York in 2024, inquired about a not-for-sale item, its store mascot Molly, a singing and dancing bird which is used in magic shows hosted in a small theatre at the back of the store.
‘Yesterday, Kelly Clarkson visited us in Brooklyn and inquired about buying ‘Molly,’ a one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton who plays an important role in the magic shows we host here,’ the store shared in their Instagram post.
‘Molly is permanently attached to the wall and isn’t for sale. However, the negative experience Kelly described on twitter would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop.’
‘Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked 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 thanked ‘friends for their support’ adding a welcome ‘to all the curious folks who have discovered us amidst the drama’.
The star had originally shared online that she ‘had a few things in mind to buy.’ However, upon arrival, she said she was ‘looked at as if I couldn’t afford it’
Kelly’s fans hit the store with one-star Google reviews, promoting the business owners to respond, insisting that the bird isn’t for sale
Quoting Kelly’s famous lyric, it ended the post by writing: ‘We’re going to keep our heads down and hopefully, we can clear things up with Kelly someday. As a talented popular singer once said ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
That wasn’t the end of it though. Incensed by a lack of apology, social media sleuths soon pointed out that a picture of the bird shows a label next to the item that appears to list a price tag of US$15,000 (approx. AU$21,000).
Battle lines were drawn when others loyal to the store pointed to a pinned September Instagram post on the store’s account which used a photo of Molly the bird to advertise ‘our favourite items not for sale’.
When Our News Outlet visited the storefront on Sunday afternoon, police were outside. Officers had been summoned to Art of Play at 2.30pm over reports of a disorderly person, and staff were so concerned by the disturbance that they were forced to lock themselves in the store.
Shortly afterwards Kelly doubled down, claiming in another post on social media on Sunday evening that the store was ‘lying’ about the bird not being 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, ‘Yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.”
‘That all never happened,’ she wrote, sharing the photo of what she said was the price tag. ‘OK cool, so you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it,’ she continued.
‘And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things.’
That wasn’t the end of it though. Incensed by a lack of apology, social media sleuths soon pointed out that a picture of the bird show a label next to the item that appears to list a price tag
Kelly then doubled down, claiming in another post on social media on Sunday evening that the store was ‘lying’
In a response to ‘clarify’ details about Kelly’s visit Art of Play added another Instagram post on Sunday night, insisting staff explained to the star that ‘Molly serves as a de facto mascot’
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‘I love small businesses and know they are important, and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people [as] less than in your store just because you are a small business.
‘It’s not that hard to be kind,’ she concluded, noting: ‘I never blast people, but you my friend, were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.’
In a response to ‘clarify’ details about Kelly’s visit Art of Play added another Instagram post on Sunday night, insisting staff explained to Kelly that ‘Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop.’
They added that ‘a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle. He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000.’
The store also said that the star was offered to be shown ‘a different singing bird automaton, made by a traditional clockmaking shop in Germany, that she could have taken home with her that day. It costs about $2,000. She did not stick around long enough to see it.’
Art of Play did, however, say it had reached out to Kelly to ‘clear the air’.
‘We really do wish her the best and hope that someday we can all laugh about this misunderstanding,’ they concluded.
