Zach Woods has mocked Kelly Clarkson's $15,000 (around £11,250) bird row with a bizarre story about trying to hire a shop owner as his indentured servant. The Silicon Valley actor repeatedly asked, 'Do you think I'm poor?' in a satirical video posted online, poking fun at the controversy.
Woods opened his video by joking that he had also had a negative experience at Art of Play, the Brooklyn shop at the centre of Clarkson's dispute over an expensive mechanical singing bird. He then launched into an absurd tale about searching for a servant, joking that the shop's owner appeared physically capable of doing the work.
Zach Woods Jokes About Hiring a Shop Owner as His Servant
'I don't know what happened with Kelly Clarkson and the Art of Play store, but I had my own negative experience there,' Woods said in the video shared on his Instagram and TikTok. He claimed he was 'trolling around Brooklyn looking for an indentured servant' when he spotted the owner.
Woods joked that the man's beard suggested he had enough 'testosterone' to handle some heavy lifting. He then claimed he offered to hire him as a servant, explaining that the arrangement would require him to 'forego your autonomy' and perform labour for him.
According to Woods' deliberately exaggerated story, the owner declined the offer, prompting the actor to insist that he had misunderstood. 'I'm asking you to be my indentured servant,' Woods recalled saying, before claiming the man responded, 'No, I understand. But that I run a toy store.'
Actor Asks 'Do You Think I'm Poor?' After Rejection
Woods then pretended to take offence at the rejection, repeatedly asking, 'Do you think I'm poor? Do you think I'm poor?' He joked that the experience had even influenced his wardrobe choices, explaining, 'So now I wear a loose tie all the time.'
The actor continued, 'So people know I'm rich enough to temporarily buy off somebody else's freedom', extending the joke about his supposedly extravagant lifestyle. He also made deliberately outrageous remarks about retaliating against the shop owner, including biting his leg or shoving a kite up his penis.
Woods eventually returned to the controversy that inspired his routine, saying, 'The point is we've all been in the situation of trying to buy a $15,000 bird and not being allowed to.' He added, 'You know, celebrities, they're just like us', before describing himself as a 'low-level' celebrity on the 'F to Z list'.
What Happened Between Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play?
The controversy began after Clarkson visited Art of Play on 10 October and later claimed she had been treated as though she could not afford an item she wanted to purchase. She compared the experience to the famous shopping scene in the 1990 film Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts.
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…
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026
Clarkson said she had asked about a mechanical singing bird named Molly after seeing a $15,000 price tag. She subsequently criticised the shop on social media, calling an employee an 'idiot' and accusing the business of lying about their interaction.
Art of Play disputed Clarkson's account, explaining that Molly was a one-of-a-kind automaton permanently attached to the wall and used in the shop's magic shows. The business said the bird's creator, Bliss Kolb, was willing to sell a nearly identical version for $15,000, while staff had also offered to show Clarkson a different mechanical bird priced at approximately $2,000 (£1,500). Clarkson disputed the shop's version of events.
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… pic.twitter.com/9PEhUWnIOt
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026
The dispute continued to attract attention after security footage of Clarkson's visit emerged. The footage showed her spending less than five minutes in the shop but contained no audio, meaning it could not establish what was said during the exchange.
Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin later announced that the price of Molly had been raised to $15 million (£11.3 million) amid the publicity surrounding the controversy. The dramatic increase followed the shop's initial explanation that the bird was a permanent fixture and was not for sale.
Woods ended his video by joking about how often he had supposedly encountered the same dilemma before trailing off with, 'I can change the world.' His over-the-top account turned the dispute into a broader joke about celebrity, wealth and the absurdity of being denied an expensive purchase.
