Kelly Clarkson’s $15K Mechanical Bird Saga Takes Another Turn—Thanks to PETA

For Immediate Release:
October 13, 2026

Contact:
Hannah Nelson 202-483-7382

Kelly Clarkson’s viral quest to bring home Molly, the $15,000 singing mechanical bird at Brooklyn’s Art of Play, has a delicious new twist: PETA sent the Grammy winner a letter today thanking her for choosing an animatronic bird over a real one—along with vegan chocolates adorned with birds as consolation for the mechanical Molly who got away.

“Kelly’s quest for Molly may have hit a sour note, but choosing a mechanical bird over a living one is something worth singing about,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is celebrating Miss Independent for showing that appreciating birds doesn’t mean putting them behind bars, because real birds should be free to fly, socialize, and sing their own songs.”

Birds are intelligent, social individuals who need room to fly, explore, and spend time with their flock, yet those sold for human companionship can spend their lives confined to cages. PETA’s recent investigation into Creekside Birds, a massive parakeet-breeding factory in the Petco and PetSmart supply chains, revealed nearly 10,000 birds crammed into filthy cages, sick and injured birds denied veterinary care, and staff crushing birds’ necks and ripping off their heads.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a bird is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Clarkson follows.

October 13, 2026

Dear Kelly,

Like many others, your fans here at PETA have been following the headlines about your quest to purchase Molly, the singing mechanical bird who somehow proved harder to bring home than a Grammy.

While I’m sorry you weren’t able to buy Molly, I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t thrilled to see that you were hoping to buy an animatronic bird instead of a living, feeling bird destined to spend a lifetime in a cage. That’s why PETA is sending you a box of vegan chocolates adorned with birds as a small consolation and token of our appreciation.

Real birds are intelligent, sensitive individuals who can fly for miles, form deep social bonds, solve complex problems, and communicate in remarkably sophisticated ways. Yet those sold as “pets” are kept in cages, deprived of the freedom to spread their wings, explore, and spend time with their flock. Many become so distressed in captivity that they pluck out their own feathers or develop other signs of profound psychological torment. And PETA investigations have uncovered tremendous suffering in breeding facilities that supply the pet trade.

Your enthusiasm for Molly showed the world that no one needs to keep a living bird in a cage to appreciate their beauty. If you’re still looking for a “bird,” we thought you might appreciate this one. We hope that, because of you, people will think twice before purchasing one of the many real birds who are bought, sold, and confined to cages every year.

Many thanks. Please enjoy the chocolates.

Warm regards,

Alicia Aguayo

Director of Celebrity Relations