Martha Stewart is facing criticism after sharing a Halloween costume depicting a person experiencing homelessness, complete with ripped clothing, dirt on her face and a sign saying, "I am hungry. Help me." Stewart removed the image and initially told Page Six she was "distressed" that people were offended, saying she meant to raise awareness of homelessness. She later issued a more direct apology on Instagram, saying her first response "didn’t go far enough" and calling the costume "insensitive and not funny." Stewart has spent decades making Halloween part of her lifestyle brand, regularly sharing costumes, recipes and craft ideas with followers.
Newsweek reached out to Stewart's representative via email for comment on Monday and awaits a response. Stewart's picture in question appeared in a carousel promoting the lifestyle entrepreneur's candles before being deleted. Reaction quickly followed online.
On X, one user called the 85-year-old "out of touch," while another said the costume was "incredibly tone deaf, disappointing" and "childish." "You get to take the costume off. Millions of people don't," added a third. "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," Stewart said.
She added that homelessness remains "one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises" and that she has spent significant time and effort supporting charities addressing the issue. She also said she was "committed to continuing to make a difference." Newsweek contacted the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the Coalition for the Homeless via email for comment on Monday and is awaiting responses. Stewart subsequently returned to Instagram with a more direct acknowledgment of the criticism and of shortcomings in her first statement.
"It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up," Stewart wrote in the post. "My earlier statement didn’t go far enough." https://www.instagram.com/p/DfOAdvIRz_N/?hl=en She then addressed the costume itself rather than focusing on her intention behind it. "I know many people are suffering economically.
Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am very sorry," the statement said. In the comments underneath Just Jared's Instagram post about the costume, Stewart doubled down on her remarks, adding: "My costume was designed to bring the homeless and the hungry to everyone's mind and boy it certainly did!!!
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