The 85-year-old lifestyle mogul first defended the look as a way to raise awareness, then posted a fuller apology hours later saying her initial response had fallen short.
Martha Stewart has issued an apology for wearing a homeless-inspired outfit on Halloween, backtracking shortly after an initial remark where she characterized the disguise as a way to bring visibility to homelessness.
In a message posted to Instagram on Sunday, Nov. 1, the 85-year-old businesswoman said her earlier explanation had not gone far enough and called the costume insensitive and unfunny. “It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up,” she wrote, adding that she knows many people are struggling financially and that she was very sorry.
The apology capped a weekend of criticism that began with a since-deleted Instagram post and grew after her first attempt to explain it.
A costume shared in a candle promotion
The photograph depicted Stewart wearing a dark knit beanie, a cardigan, and distressed denim, her face brushed with dark cosmetic smudges while she clutched a placard stating she was famished and seeking assistance. This visual surfaced on her Instagram profile within a publication designed to advertise her scented candles. Based on information from the PA news agency, featured via RTÉ, the accompanying text marketed her QVC candles as an ideal match for the Halloween season.
Pairing a costume that depicts extreme poverty with a product plug drove much of the anger. Users on X described the post as out of touch and tone-deaf, according to a Newsweek roundup of the reaction, and several commenters pointed to the number of Americans without stable housing. Others defended Stewart and argued that critics were overreacting to a Halloween costume, Men’s Journal reported. The post was taken down as the backlash grew, and Stewart limited comments on some of her other posts.
A first statement that stopped short of an apology
Before issuing the apology, Stewart tackled the controversy during remarks shared with Page Six. She expressed distress over the offense caused by her outfit, maintained that causing upset was never her goal, and explained that the concept aimed to spotlight homelessness. Furthermore, she mentioned backing charities focused on the cause, yet omitted mentioning any specific organizations.
That explanation failed to quiet detractors, who doubted how an ensemble presented alongside commercial goods could simultaneously function as activism. Stewart reiterated this perspective within the comments section of a Just Jared Instagram post, stating that the attire aimed to draw attention to hunger and homelessness, though she admitted her initial communication fell short, as noted by Newsweek. Actor Indya Moore countered in that same space, contending that Halloween is hardly the appropriate occasion to mimic individuals enduring hardship. Shortly thereafter, Stewart shared a subsequent post, openly admitting that her previous remarks had proven insufficient.
CNN, which reported the apology on Monday, said it had contacted Stewart’s representatives for comment. Newsweek said it had asked her representative, as well as the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the Coalition for the Homeless, to comment and was awaiting responses. By Monday, major outlets covering the story had not reported a public response from any homelessness advocacy group.
Why the costume struck a nerve
The criticism landed against a backdrop of persistently high homelessness in the United States. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s latest annual one-night count found 745,652 people experiencing homelessness in 2025, according to a Congressional Research Service summary of the agency’s report, which was released in May. That was a slight drop from the record 771,480 counted in 2024. More than 266,000 of the people counted in 2025 were unsheltered on the night of the survey.
Costumes that turn vulnerable or marginalized groups into dress-up have drawn repeated scrutiny. In August, Target apologized and pulled a clown costume from its shelves after critics said it evoked blackface and minstrel-show imagery.
Stewart’s case attracted notable focus due to her prominent status. During the 1980s, she established her reputation as an expert in gastronomy, hosting, and domestic arts, subsequently debuting Martha Stewart Living magazine in 1990 and earning numerous Daytime Emmy Awards. Although a 2004 conviction for making false statements regarding a stock transaction resulted in a five-month incarceration, her professional journey persevered; furthermore, she has recently developed a lighthearted and frequently provocative digital footprint that has previously sparked controversy.
An enduring Halloween tradition
Halloween has been part of Stewart’s brand for decades. She has staged elaborate costumes over the years and features them in her magazine’s annual Halloween coverage. In 2024 she appeared on the cover of that issue as Queen Elizabeth I, in a gold gown, a white lace ruff and a crown, carrying an orb and scepter that were in fact a holiday ornament and a curtain rod, according to Marie Claire. Her editors used the look to dub her the “Queen of Halloween.”
Newsweek highlighted that she has likewise posted nostalgic snapshots of prior ensembles, featuring a spooky horsewoman dating back to 2009 alongside a disguise donned for Bette Midler’s 1998 Hulaween celebration. Furthermore, she has recounted adorning her farm’s entrance annually and distributing an assortment of sweets paired with a small monetary gift to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.
That history helps explain why this year’s costume landed so badly with many of her followers. Stewart’s Halloween posts are usually built around craft, fantasy and spectacle; this one put a real and widespread hardship in the role of a character, and attached it to a sales pitch.
As of Monday, the original image remained deleted, and Stewart had not indicated whether she intends to issue any additional response, such as identifying the charities she mentioned in her initial statement.
