Yelp pauses reviews for Brooklyn store following viral Kelly Clarkson controversy

Review platform Yelp has placed an unusual activity alert on the page for Brooklyn-based store Art of Play and temporarily disabled new reviews, Mashable reported. The decision followed a viral social media complaint by singer Kelly Clarkson regarding a $15,000 singing bird item at the shop. A Yelp spokesperson confirmed the review pause to Mashable. [2]

On Saturday, Clarkson posted on X that she visited the Brooklyn shop and was treated as if she could not afford an item she wanted to purchase, Business Insider reported. Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin told Business Insider that Clarkson threw a metaphorical Molotov cocktail at the store, leaving staff members to deal with the fallout. [1]

Art of Play is a small Brooklyn shop selling items such as tarot cards, home decor, magic trick books, and a wooden bird named Molly, according to Business Insider. Rubin told the outlet he was forced to return to work on Tuesday to respond to questions surrounding Clarkson's viral complaint instead of taking scheduled time off. [1]

Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol and currently hosts the syndicated daytime broadcast program The Kelly Clarkson Show, which has aired since 2019. Separately, the singer was announced on Tuesday as a co-headliner for Brandi Carlile's Girls Just Wanna Weekend festival scheduled for January, Variety reported. [3][6][9]