Martha Stewart breaks silence after sparking outrage with 'tone deaf' homeless Halloween costume
Martha Stewart has responded after sparking outrage by dressing as a homeless person for Halloween.
Like many other celebrities, the 85-year-old TV personality shared a shot of herself in costume for Halloween over the weekend.
However, while most stars’ costumes might have got a chuckle - or a gasp in Heidi Klum’s case - Stewart stoked controversy with her ‘poor taste’ costume idea.
In a photo shared onto Stewart’s social media pages, she could be seen wearing tattered and ripped clothes with what appeared to be fake dirt on her face while holding a sign that read: “I am hungry. Help me!!”
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The image, which has since been deleted, was included in a carousel promoting her candle collection on QVC with the caption: “My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!" and had not referenced the costume.
The costume did not go down well with Stewart’s followers, with one person saying 'the level of out of touch is stellar' as others pointed out it was in 'poor taste' to dress up like someone going through financial hardship for a costume.
"I’m not particularly sensitive to Halloween costumes, but this is upsetting… she’s standing outside her mansion wearing this," one Reddit user said.
An X user posted: “Martha Stewart absolutely tone deaf and totally out of touch. Absolutely shameful.”
Some even thought it was an ‘AI deepfake hack’ that didn’t involve Stewart at all.
However, Stewart has since removed the post and has now responded to the backlash in a statement shared with PEOPLE, saying she had hoped the costume would ‘bring more awareness’ to the serious topic.
“I’ve spent decades teaching others how to celebrate Halloween — sharing fun, festive recipes, providing unique craft ideas and giving tips on entertaining and hosting to make the most of one of my favorite holidays of the year,” she said.
“I am distressed that my Halloween costume yesterday, which was intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness, has offended people, which was never my intention.
“Homelessness continues to remain one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises, something that I care deeply about and I have spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat this ongoing social epidemic.”
She went on to say that she was ‘committed to continuing to make a difference’.
LADbible reached out to Stewart for comment.
Stewart has previously said how much she enjoys Halloween and is no stranger to dressing up.
In a blog post on her website, Stewart shared a list of some of her favourite looks over the years, including a regal outfit when she appeared as the Queen of Halloween for her 2024 cover of Martha Stewart Halloween, and as 'FairyGrand Martha', complete with a floaty pink dress, crown and sparkly wand.
In 2017, she created a look inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's pop art, with a blonde wing and make-up designed to create a 2D comic book effect.
Earlier in October, she also shared a clip of herself making ghost lollipops while wearing a long black wig and gothic black dress.
Claire Reid