What was Paul Rudd doing at Art of Play? Marvel star spotted at Brooklyn store that snubbed Kelly Clarkson

Paul Rudd visited Brooklyn novelty shop Art of Play on October 21, days after Kelly Clarkson publicly criticised the store over her shopping experience.

The Marvel actor, dressed in a black hoodie and grey trousers, was seen looking into the shop following Clarkson’s account of an interaction during her October 10 visit.

The singer said she had travelled to Brooklyn to see a mechanical singing bird named Molly, which she believed was available for $15,000.

“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,” Clarkson wrote on X. “Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale.”

The singer later encouraged fans to visit the shop if they wanted to be treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman.

Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin responded to the criticism, telling New York magazine that the interaction had seemed unremarkable to the staff.

“We treated her like a normal person, but apparently that didn’t live up to her expectations,” Rubin said.

He also claimed the controversy had led to threats against the shop’s staff.

Rubin clarified that Molly was not for sale, although interested buyers could potentially commission a similar automaton from its creator, Bliss Kolb.

The store later joked about the attention by announcing that the mechanical birds’ price had risen to $15 million “due to popular demand”.

Rudd’s visit comes as the dispute continues to draw public interest.