Sunny Hostin blasted Kelly Clarkson on The View for a “tantrum” and “petty” posts about a Brooklyn magic store, then faced sharp online pushback for the lecture.
On Thursday’s episode of The View, Hostin criticized the singer for taking her complaint about Art of Play public after a short visit over a mechanical bird ornament named Molly.
Hostin argued that a huge following brings a duty not to stir a “social media mob,” called Clarkson’s reaction a tantrum, and labeled her “a little petty.” A clip from the official show account spread fast, and many viewers rejected the framing.
Daily Mail reporting laid out the sequence: Clarkson’s Saturday posts on X, the store’s Sunday Instagram reply, owner Adam Rubin’s account of threats, and the Thursday panel segment that followed a Rubin clip.
Clarkson, 44, the American Idol winner and “Since U Been Gone” star, said she drove to the Brooklyn shop because it looked “really rad” and she had items in mind to buy.
She posted that staff looked at her as if she could not afford anything and offered to find something “comparable.” She compared the treatment to Julia Roberts’ character getting snubbed in Pretty Woman.
"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. Wow, dude. You're an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y'all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman."
Art of Play answered on Instagram that Molly “plays an important role” in the store’s magic show, “is permanently attached to the wall and isn't for sale,” and pointed fans toward Seattle creator Bliss Kolb for a similar commission.
The shop also wrote that the outrage after “just one mention by a celebrity” felt “surreal,” said it would keep its “heads down,” and hoped to clear things up with Clarkson someday, quoting the line, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”
Clarkson fired back. She said she had pointed to a price tag beside the “Singing Bird,” heard a condescending pitch that it cost $15,000, and then watched the story flip to “not for sale.”
"Okay, cool. So you're not only rude, you're also a liar. Got it."
Co-owner Adam Rubin, a children’s book writer, told interviewers the clash put the business in danger. He described thousands of threats and hateful messages, threatening calls and texts, review-bombing, and harassment online.
Rubin said people showed up screaming outside the shop and that neighbors got doxxed. He claimed someone who posted support for the store then got attacked by trolls.
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger."
He added that the store had no idea this could happen, “but here's the thing: Kelly Clarkson did, and she chose to do it anyway.” Rubin argued that fame, money, and power do not grant a pass to “squash somebody like a bug.”
He also said Clarkson yelled on her way out and left with a line that she would never come back. Security footage described in the coverage showed a visit lasting four minutes and 50 seconds, with browsing, an exchange over the bird, items put back, gesturing, and an exit.
After the panel played Rubin’s comments, Hostin locked onto responsibility. She said Clarkson has “eight million or more followers” and must know a “social media mob” sits waiting online.
"When you have a huge platform, a lot of responsibility comes with that."
Hostin said Clarkson “kind of had a bit of a tantrum because she starts putting things back kind of quickly,” noted the short time inside the store, and objected to the immediate turn to X.
"She was a little petty," Hostin said. "I think you have to use your platform appropriately."
Co-host Raven-Symoné pushed the other way. She called Clarkson petty yet rejected the idea that follower count strips someone of the right to say a clerk was rude.
"Kelly didn't say, 'Go attack them.' I read the tweet. I can't believe he blamed her for that, that's not what she did."
Raven-Symoné added that Clarkson “didn't send a mob out,” that the mob was already online, and that it is unfair to silence a customer with a large following. Sara Haines asked whether a massive audience disqualifies anyone from saying, “Hey that was rude?”
Once the show clip circulated, criticism swung at Hostin. Users said Clarkson calmly returned items she no longer planned to buy and put them back where they belonged rather than dumping them.
One reaction called the tantrum charge shocking. Another asked why replacing merchandise on the shelf counted as throwing a fit. A third called putting unwanted goods back “a gracious thing to do.”
The dispute itself remains split on basic facts. Clarkson describes a condescending $15,000 brush-off tied to a visible tag. The store describes a display piece locked to the wall for a magic show and a misunderstanding that exploded after a celebrity post. Rubin blames Clarkson for foreseeable chaos. Parts of The View panel blame the internet instead.
What landed in living rooms was a daytime-TV scolding of a customer who named a shop she said treated her poorly, while that same shop’s owner reported threats, doxxing, and people screaming on the sidewalk.
Small businesses already run on thin margins and local goodwill. When a television panel spends more energy policing a singer’s tone than the claimed harassment at the door, viewers notice who gets the lecture.
