Photo: Jared Siskin / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Kelly Clarkson just had her own Pretty Woman moment, and she isn’t keeping quiet about it.The Grammy winner and daytime talk show host went to X on Saturday, October 10, to call out Art of Play, a specialty shop in Brooklyn. She said an employee there assumed she couldn’t afford the merchandise.
Clarkson said she went out of her way to visit the store. “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,” she wrote. The trip didn’t go as planned. Clarkson said she “literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it.” She added that the salesperson offered to find “something comparable” for her.
Her verdict was short: “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.”
She then sarcastically told followers to visit Art of Play if they enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman. She ended the post with a thumbs-down emoji.
Clarkson’s comparison points to one of the most famous shopping scenes in movie history. In the 1990 film Pretty Woman, Roberts plays Vivian Ward. A snobby Rodeo Drive boutique employee dismisses her based on how she looks. Vivian later comes back with bags full of purchases from other stores and delivers the line fans still quote today: “Big mistake. Big. Huge.”
Clarkson’s “huge sale” remark sounded like a nod to that line, and fans online quickly made the connection.
Art of Play calls itself a “Brooklyn curiosity shop.” It sells puzzles, games, toys, books and unusual home goods, and it has a small theater that hosts close-up magic shows. The store is at 69 Atlantic Avenue, near Brooklyn Bridge Park. Clarkson didn’t name the employee or say which items she planned to buy.