Image via Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Martha Stewart has apologised after her Halloween costume drew a wave of criticism online, admitting in a second statement that she "really screwed up". The 85-year-old lifestyle star shared photographs of the costume on Instagram on 31 October, and the backlash — and her two very different responses — became one of the most talked-about celebrity Halloween stories of the weekend.
The costume showed Stewart in ripped jeans, a beanie and layered torn clothing, with makeup made to look like dirt on her face, holding a sign reading "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!". The pictures appeared in a carousel that also promoted her candle range, which critics noted made the post feel commercial as well as insensitive. Stewart deleted the post as criticism spread across social media.
Her first response, given to Page Six and People on 1 November, stopped short of an apology. Stewart said she was "distressed" that the costume, which she said was intended to bring more awareness to homelessness, had offended people, adding that offence "was never my intention". That statement, outlets reported, did not go far enough for many critics.
Later on 1 November, Stewart posted a second, fuller statement on Instagram. "I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I'm very sorry," she wrote, adding that her earlier statement had not gone far enough. Reports from the Express Tribune, Parade and the Economic Times all confirm the wording of the second apology.
The episode stands in sharp contrast to the Halloween looks that won praise this year, from Heidi Klum's towering hand costume at her 25th annual party to the celebrity looks gathered in our round-up of celebrity Halloween costumes 2026. It is also a reminder, after Zendaya's tribute to Halle Berry's X-Men premiere look, that a Halloween costume choice can become the story itself — for better or worse.
Read More: Heidi Klum Halloween 2026 Reveal: The Towering Hand Costume at Her 25th Annual Party
Post a Comment