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TMZ; Debra L Rothenberg/Getty Images
Mechanical Bird At Center Of Kelly Clarkson Controversy Now Costs $15 Million As Brooklyn Shop Owner Claims Clarkson Put Employees 'In Danger'
Oct 15, 2026
Just when you thought the Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play saga couldn't get any messier, the mechanical bird at the center of it all now has a $15 million asking price.
Her name is Molly, and before anyone starts questioning the price of birdseed, she's a handcrafted singing and dancing automaton by Seattle artist Bliss Kolb. One of just two, no less. Still, that's quite the leap from the $15,000 price tag that sparked this entire spectacle.
Check out the now million-dollar bird in question:
this being the bird kelly clarkson wanted to buy😭 https://t.co/jnjtJlkbJw
— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) October 11, 2026
Inflation be damned when that bird is in demand.
And for anyone who hasn't kept up with this feathered foolishness, here's the short version. Clarkson visited Brooklyn's Art of Play on October 10, took an interest in Molly, and left feeling like she'd wandered into the wrong side of Pretty Woman.
Accusing the shop of treating her like she couldn't afford its merchandise, Clarkson took her complaint to X:
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. For sure, check it out 👎
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026
Not the invitation to visit the store, complete with a judgmental thumbs-down emoji. That's certainly one way to recommend a small business.
Art of Play, however, had a rather different version of events:
Art of Play isn't your typical gift shop. The Brooklyn curiosity store also hosts after-hours magic shows, with Molly reportedly serving as the opening act. The shop maintains that she was a permanent fixture, and the $15,000 price tag was meant to gauge interest, not advertise a sale.
A nearly identical bird was available through the artist, while a different $2,000 automaton was also offered to Clarkson, according to the shop.
But Clarkson wasn't buying that explanation either. The singer fired back with a photo of the price tag, accusing the shop of being both rude and dishonest.
She even doubled down on X, this time with a photo to back up her complaint:
Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 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 and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. 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 less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
At this point, both sides have presented their receipts, and somehow, we're no closer to figuring out who deserves the shadiest side-eye.
Clarkson has a photo of the price tag. Art of Play has an explanation for it. And journalist Pablo Torre has surveillance footage, released on October 13, because this bird dispute apparently requires a full investigation.
Entertainment Tonight shared a closer look at the encounter:
- YouTubeEntertainment Tonight
Unfortunately, the footage has no audio, so nobody's case is getting any "Stronger." Crisis PR expert Evan Nierman also told TODAY the shop made serious missteps, suggesting it could've sold Clarkson the displayed bird and replaced it.
But Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin says the real problem isn't the bird anymore. It's the threats and harassment he alleges followed Clarkson's public callout.
Rubin had plenty more to get off his chest during an interview with TMZ:
😳 Kelly Clarkson Bird Feud: Art of Play co-owner says employees are getting threats."Kelly Clarkson has put us all in danger." https://t.co/2PrA3pKFiU
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 13, 2026
And as for Molly's sudden $15 million valuation? Rubin has attributed the increase to popular demand, which is certainly one way to capitalize on a controversy.
As expected, the store owner tripled down in another interview with USA Today:
Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin speaks to USA Today at his store following Kelly Clarkson’s viral criticism of his store:“Kelly Clarkson put us in danger.” https://t.co/UD1ppJGMcr
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 14, 2026
That's quite the escalation, even by celebrity feud standards.
Needless to say, Clarkson may have had a legitimate complaint, and Rubin may have every reason to be furious about the fallout. But there's a difference between calling out bad customer service and putting a small business in front of millions of people who weren't even there. That's a lot of firepower for a five-minute shopping trip.
Then again, the shop's $15 million clapback isn't exactly putting out the flames.
And the comment sections? Oh, they had plenty to say about all of it:
Clarkson has yet to publicly respond to the surveillance footage or Molly's new $15 million asking price as of October 15. She's currently coaching Season 30 of The Voice alongside Adam Levine and Queen Latifah, while the internet continues dissecting her Brooklyn shopping trip.
Is this the most important controversy of the year? Not even close. Have I been following every plot twist? Absolutely. Marie Kondo would understand. Rich people's mess sparks joy. And shoutout to Molly, who never asked for any of this.
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Amy Sussman/Getty Images; Kristina Bumphrey/Variety/Getty Images
Jessica Chastain Shares Hilarious Texts From Jeremy Strong After 'Other Mommy' Crushes 'The Social Reckoning' At Box Office
Oct 15, 2026
Other Mommy actress Jessica Chastain and The Social Reckoning actor Jeremy Strong have a long-standing and fun friendship, including Chastain defending Strong's intense method acting tactics and dancing in hotel rooms late at night.
But fans are seeing a new and weirdly adorable aspect of their friendship after Chastain's horror movie outperformed Strong's social media sequel.
Other Mommy, based on Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, had a $27.5 million box office opening, while the sequel of The Social Network, The Social Reckoning, in which Jeremy Strong stepped in as Mark Zuckerberg in place of Jesse Eisenberg, only had a $5.5 million box office opening.
Articles began to circulate about the box office performances, including an article that read, "Other Mommy Spanks the Social Reckoning at the Box Office." The header image of this article was a split screen of a particularly crazed shot of Jessica Chastain as the titular Other Mommy, while Jeremy Strong looked absolutely distraught as Mark Zuckerberg.
Strong apparently shared a screenshot of this article with his friend, and Chastain's whole response was, "omg."
Strong then responded with two emojis: a middle finger and a kissy face.
Chastain pointed out that the photos that were chosen were "hysterical," which Strong agreed was "so funny."
Chastain then said:
"You look SO SAD!"
Strong quipped back:
"You look INSANE"
Chastain shared a screenshot of the exchange on her Instagram Stories shortly after:
@jessicachastain/Instagram
The screenshot was shared across social media, where fans loved seeing inside the actors' friendship.
This is one of those celebrity friendships that we honestly cannot get enough of. Not only are they able to laugh their at their box office rivalry, but this indirectly says a lot about their willingness to cheer each other on, even if it means one outperforming the other, and that's a mark of genuine friendship.
There's no telling how both of these films will perform in the coming weeks, but hopefully a film in which both of these actors exist will be in production soon!
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The Iced Coffee Hour/YouTube
Clip Of RJ Mitte Opening Up About The Financial Abuse He Endured During 'Breaking Bad' Resurfaces After His Tragic Death
Oct 15, 2026
Just days ago, Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte died by suicide at the age of 34.
In the wake of his tragic death, a video has resurfaced of him talking about his financial struggles, allegedly largely caused by poor, exploitive business management.
While guest starring on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast, Mitte opened up about not being made a millionaire by his primary role in the five-season show Breaking Bad, stating that he was "not even close."
Mitte revealed:
"No, not even close."
"I've paid more in taxes than I got from 'Breaking Bad.'"
"One thing that did put a damper on me, I did have a bad business manager. I got royally hammered in my last four years of my highest earning series."
According to the actor, he and his parents had managed his money for years, but when he was repeatedly pressured to get a proper accountant who could handle his finances as a rising actor, he signed on with a business manager who, he later realized, targeted elderly actors and actors with disabilities like himself.
Though he used the pronoun "she" to describe the manager, he otherwise kept the person anonymous. He was pretty certain that the manager was still in the industry and didn't want to cause a stir by releasing her name.
But he knew, looking back, that this person had been stealing money from him by sending him faked tax information that required him to submit more money than he was legally obligated to, so that she could pay the taxes and save the extra money for herself, forcing the actor into devastating debt that he didn't know how to navigate.
Mitte held himself accountable for the situation, however.
"At the end of the day, though, it's my negligence."
"The IRS doesn't really care about you. They only care that you make sure that you are paying [taxes]."
"Anyone else that handles that is your fault because you did not do your due diligence."
You can watch the segment here:
RJ Mitte reveals how he was financially exploited at just 17 while trying to protect his Breaking Bad earnings: “During the last four years of my highest-earning series, I wanted to protect my money. I was 17 or 18, and everyone was telling me to get a proper accountant. Dude, I got eaten alive.
byu/RoxySinner inFauxmoi
The resurfaced clip was shared on the "Fauxmoi" subReddit, where Redditors were disgusted by what Mitte went through.
"Financial abuse. Not enough protections for young actors. I know he refused to publicly name the manager, but I hope karma gets them." —neuroticdynamite
"He said the accountant would target disabled young and elderly actors, too. Complete scumbag." —been_mackin
"They worked at the Sheriff's office; let's not forget to leave that crucial detail out. So corrupt."
"He even said he would have had to file where she worked, which is exactly what protected her. Crooked deputy. ACAB."
"This is disgusting, and the hosts of the show just gloss over it instead of showing him empathy in that moment." —Square_Midnight
"I want to know who that business manager is. Evil." —Historical-Edge-9332
"That's been the question of the moment. It's also been a way to give the family and those who knew him space to grieve and figure out what happened privately, but also give the public something to focus on that very well might have had an impact on why RJ did what he did." —TCoMonteCristo
"He comes across as such a genuinely good person. It's truly sad that he was treated so unfairly like this." —Educational_Ad_3528
"'Bad business manager,' AKA: fraud and theft... This poor kid. He was literally just a kid." —Correct-Hope-2227
"The worst is that he was a child. He had no one else. Father wasn't in the picture, and mother was paralysed. He was the main breadwinner since the age of 13 and did the right thing. Which is to get a professional. Yet he still lost everything." —Fearless_Mind_4223
"The system is so incredibly exploitative. This just breaks my heart." —butt-in-ski
"REMEMBER Y'ALL, IF YOU LOOK FOR AN ACCOUNTANT, SPECIFICALLY ASK IF THEY ARE A FIDUCIARY."
"THEY ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO ACT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, AND IT IS THE BEST WAY TO SAFEGUARD YOURSELF."
"There are a lot of ways to check and make sure you are dealing with a fiduciary as well, so if you are worried, ‘well, they can just lie,’ but no, they cannot! There are legal consequences for lying, and the information regarding their fiduciary status is public information and possible to look up."
"REMEMBER, IF IT'S FINANCIAL, FIND A FIDUCIARY." —Dickie-Nird
You can watch the full interview here, as well:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
It's never okay to exploit someone, but it feels worse that it was a child with a disability being exploited, especially when he just wanted to do the right thing, professionally and for his family.
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WJZ13TV/YouTube
MAGA Rep. Gets Blunt Reality Check After Raging At Reporter For Filming Him In Public After Disastrous Debate
Oct 15, 2026
MAGA Republican Representative Andy Harris—chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus—is the only member of the GOP representing Maryland in Congress.
On October 13, Harris faced off in a League of Women Voters debate against his opponent, Democrat Dan Schwartz. The night didn't go well for Harris who was openly mocked and heckled during the debate.
After Harris' excuses for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's poor job performance received robust laughter, Harris lashed out at the audience, calling them rude.
You can see the moment here:
Things went from bad to worse when Harris called a press gaggle after the debate.
Harris interrupted a reporter from The Baltimore Banner saying:
"I'm going to say it slowly, because people from 'The Baltimore Banner' need me to say things slowly."
You can see local news coverage here:
After that confrontation, Harris moved on to student journalist Cat Murphy from the Capital News Service. Harris attacked Murphy after she told him she thought he should respect The Baltimore Banner reporter's questions just as much as hers.
Waving his finger in her face, Harris petulantly replied:
"Uh, we're not answering your question either."
You can see the full interaction from Murphy's own recording of Harris here:
When Murphy pushed back, Harris said:
"You cannot film me... This is a two-party state. I am not giving you authority to film me."
When another reporter pointed out Harris had called the press there himself, Harris told Murphy:
"Well, I'm disinviting you. You're gone. You're gone."
Harris then tried to get security to remove Murphy.
Another reporter off camera asked:
"Are you eliminating a member of the press? You just spoke [during the debate] about how you wanted people to defend and respect your First Amendment."
After Harris again appealed to security to do his bidding, he told Murphy:
"You do not have my permission to record. If you record, we will refer you to prosecutors."
Murphy responded:
"Everyone in here is recording. Why am I not allowed to?"
Harris replied:
"But you are not allowed to. We are in a two-party state. You are not allowed to."
After several members of the press told Harris it was a public forum and he was wrong, the Republican incumbent demanded security confiscate Murphy's phone and told them to get a police officer.
When Harris didn't get his way, he stormed off, telling the press to blame Murphy for his behavior.
@baltimorebanner Republican Rep. Andy Harris incorrectly told a reporter they were breaking the law as the reporter and others recorded an exchange with him on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Harris had just wrapped up a debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz. Video by Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner
Harris' fellow Maryland legislator, Democrat Jamie Raskin, was happy to provide Harris with a factcheck.
Representative Raskin wrote:
"No, it’s not illegal for a journalist to record a politician at a press availability when the politician invited the press! Classic Andy Harris. We served together in the Maryland State Senate and Congress for two decades—he's an authoritarian through and through, and can be counted on by tyrants all over the world—Trump, Putin, Orban, J6 insurrectionists."
In his accompanying video, Representative Raskin explained why Harris was wrong about Maryland law.
Multiple legal experts concurred that two-party consent laws don't apply in public areas where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy—even less so for an elected official at a press gaggle that they initiated.
People found Harris' behavior unacceptable.
I didn't know who Andy Harris was until today. Congratulations, Andy, you sucked so hard even the national media heard it.
— astrospin.bsky.social (@astrospin.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 9:17 AM
His ignorance of the law should disqualify him from office. It should certainly cost him votes!
— Robert S Russell (@grampa007.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Glad to see that this is on TRMS radar. Andy Harris has made a point of closing all of his constituent service offices east of the Bay and he never does town halls. I guess this story shows why. He is not much of a people person. Job well done, Cat Murphy.
— tom--sullivan.bsky.social (@tom--sullivan.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 11:09 AM
Republicans all want a proverbial participation trophy instead of factual reporting
— SuziQT (@surrealsuzi.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 8:14 AM
Fascistic dreams and ambitions. Freedom of speech for me but not for thee.
— Matthew (@matthewchat.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 7:13 AM
The Baltimore Banner published an op-ed by Rick Hutzell on Harris, titled "Andy Harris the bully shows up at the end of his Maryland campaign."
Based on Harris' behavior, "bully" seems an apt description.
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Saul Loeb-Pool/Getty Images; Gary Miller/Getty Images
JD Vance Slammed After Taunting James Talarico With Blatantly Homophobic Jab
Oct 15, 2026
Vice President JD Vance is in hot water after acting like a 12-year-old boy and using a homophobic taunt against Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.
In the latest chapter of "boy are the Republicans terrified of what's about to happen in Texas," Vance accused Talarico of being gay because he's, you know, nice to people.
Why? Probably because Talarico is polling ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in a state that hasn't been competitive in national elections for literal decades and the GOP is scared sh*tless.
And JD Vance, like most Republicans, doesn't have anything to lean on—no legislative achievements and certainly no personality—besides bigoted insults.
Not sure that's gonna do the job, JD! You guys are definitely gonna have to resort to stealing this one to win it. Anyway here's what Vance had to say.
After some weirdo in the crowd yelled "I love you" at Vance, Vance replied:
"I love you too, sir. In a totally platonic way, to be clear. I'm the vice president, not James Talarico."
Sick burn, JD. Anyway, your reminder that JD Vance has done drag and is positively riddled with gay rumors himself.
He even wrote in his so-called "memoir" that he once thought he was gay. The call's coming from inside the house, JD!
This new dig, lifeless as it is, is nothing new for Vance when it comes to Talarico.
Because, once again, Republicans have nothing else to run on besides bigotry and insults, Vance has spent most of the campaign accusing Talarico of either being gay or a pedophile.
This is because Talarico supports transgender children and drag queens' right to, you know, exist.
Vance has even branded Talarico "Talafreako," because as you've probably noticed he's one of the great wits of our time.
Meanwhile, not 24 hours prior, a scandal surrounding Talarico's opponent Ken Paxton dropped centering on his ties to parties he attended in Dubai with fugitives wanted in the U.S. on federal healthcare fraud and embezzlement charges.
Not that whatever paltry number of MAGA people who still remain care about that, of course.
Anyway, given the way Republicans are polling across the country as we head into the home stretch before the midterms, you can probably guess how Vance's comments landed.
Anyway, it's long been said that "Texas isn't red, it's gerrymandered"—which is true of most of the South, actually, and liberals should really stop with the snide and sadistic "they get what they voted for" rhetoric they routinely spout toward Southern states.
But in Texas' case, that axiom seems to be on the brink of being proved true at the polls.
Democrats currently hold narrow leads in most of the high-profile state races, including those for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.
And a poll of voter enthusiasm showed 53% of Texas Democrats were enthusiastic about voting versus just 37% of Republicans.
Still, nearly every race is within the margin of error, so it's anyone's game. But in a state that hasn't been competitive for nearly 30 years, these numbers should have Republicans terrified.
And they certainly seem to: Both Vance and Trump have been pouring into the state making visits, something that is highly abnormal in a state that is always a Republican lock.
Nothing a few gay slurs can't fix, surely.
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