Kathy Griffin Defends Kelly Clarkson Amid Bitter Feud With 'Petty' Brooklyn Store, Says Singer Would Not 'Make Up a Lie'

Kelly Clarkson has Kathy Griffin in her corner amid the American Idol winner's very public feud with a New York City store.

"I'm Team Kelly because I just love her,” Griffin, 65, said in an interview published on Wednesday, October 14. "I've known her since the night she won American Idol, and I think she has become more real since her [talk show] got canceled, more herself."

Griffin claimed she knew Clarkson, 44, "well enough" to know she wasn't someone "who would hop online, make up a lie that would be so outrageous it could take down a business."

"She is well aware of the size of her fan base … I think Kelly probably made the post without a ton of thought. I doubt she got together with her pr and legal team," Griffin added. "She was probably like me, posting late at night, and I believe her because she doubled down."

The comedian slammed Brooklyn's Art of Play store for its response to the ongoing controversy with Clarkson, saying it missed the mark.

"I actually think they look petty and the store would blow up, business-wise, if they had just said, ‘Oh my god, we’re so embarrassed,'” Griffin added. "I think the store could have said, 'We all have bad days at the office,' and I think whoever she was dealing with personally should have sent her flowers and said, 'I was having a bad day.'"

Clarkson made headlines on Saturday, October 10, after calling out Brooklyn's Art of Play store for rude treatment at an upscale boutique.

"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," Clarkson wrote in a lengthy post shared via X.

"Literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me," the "A Moment Like This" singer explained. "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 👎."

The Brooklyn store responded to Clarkson's accusations the next day, saying she had inquired about buying "Molly," a "one-of-a-kind singing and dancing bird automaton" that wasn't "for sale."

"We explained that while Molly is permanently attached to the wall and serves as a de facto mascot for our shop, a nearly identical automaton is owned by the creator of the machines, a brilliant artist named Bliss Kolb who lives in Seattle," the store wrote in a statement via Instagram. "He told us he would be willing to part with Molly’s twin for $15,000. We explained all of this to Kelly Clarkson."

The boutique claimed Clarkson was offered a different automation for $2,000, but the singer chose to "not stick around to see it."

Clarkson challenged Art of Play's version of events on October 11 and included a photo of an item hanging with a $15,000 price tag.

"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, so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can,'" she wrote. "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."