Sunny Hostin has criticised Kelly Clarkson’s handling of her Brooklyn shopping dispute after security footage emerged amid the row over a singing bird.
Speaking on Thursday’s The View, Sunny questioned Kelly’s behaviour in security footage from the store, called Art of Play.
The clip had featured on Tuesday’s episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out.
Sunny described Kelly’s actions as “a bit of a tantrum”, pointing to how quickly she put items back. She also noted that the singer hadn’t spent long inside, before adding: “She was a little petty.”
But guest co-host Raven-Symoné challenged the criticism, defending Kelly’s right to speak publicly about an experience she found upsetting.
Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play’s dispute
The disagreement began after Kelly publicly criticised the Brooklyn shop on X on Saturday. She compared her treatment to that of Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman.
Julia’s character was dismissed by shop staff in the 1990 film.
Kelly wanted a $15,000 (about £12,000) mechanical singing bird, but the shop subsequently said it wasn’t available to buy. Speaking on X, Kelly said in response: “Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with.”
Art of Play later said she had been inside for five minutes and characterised the episode as a misunderstanding.
Co-owner Adam Rubin told Page Six that he viewed the dispute as competing accounts of the same visit. He argued that the incident did not justify the level of public criticism directed at the small business.
Sunny Hostin questions Kelly Clarkson’s public criticism
On The View, Sunny’s concern centred on the impact of Kelly taking her complaint to millions of followers.
“When you have a huge platform, there comes a lot of responsibility with that,” she said.
She suggested Kelly’s own experience of fame should make her aware of how quickly online anger can build. Sunny also acknowledged that watching the footage had slightly changed her perspective.
However, Raven challenged the suggestion that having a large audience should prevent Kelly from discussing how she felt.
She recalled feeling disrespected on a red carpet, only for fans to interpret footage of that encounter differently.
She said: “I would say to those watching me and to those listening to Kelly, ‘You don’t know my past. You don’t know what I’ve been through.'”
Raven also raised Kelly’s less wealthy upbringing, suggesting that comments about money might have affected her personally. She questioned whether the shop’s approach would leave other customers feeling they could not afford its products.
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