Martha Stewart says she ‘really screwed up’ after dressing as homeless person for Halloween

Martha Stewart has apologised after sharing an image of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween, which provoked a backlash online.

The 85-year-old media personality, who is worth an estimated US$400m, shared a picture of herself on Instagram on 31 October, in which she had a dirty face and wore ripped jeans and a beanie while holding up a sign that read: “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!” The post promoted Stewart’s candle range in the caption and two photos in the carousel.

Multiple commenters immediately criticised her decision. “Why do you think poor people who are dying on the side of the road are a costume?” one asked, while another wrote: “Read the room Martha, people are struggling out here.”

On Sunday, Stewart issued a statement to media outlets including Page Six and People magazine explaining the costume, but fell short of apologising.

Her costume was “intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness”, she claimed, adding that she was “distressed” that the costume “offended” people.

“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,” Stewart 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. I am committed to continuing to make a difference.”

Hours after that statement was published, Stewart wrote a second statement on her Instagram in which she apologised.

“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough,” she wrote. “I know many people are economically struggling. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I’m very sorry.”

“I want to know the annual salary of everyone who was OK [with] it,” one commenter wrote. “Love Martha but how did no one on her PR team tell her that wasn’t a good idea?” another asked.

There are at least 770,000 homeless people across the US, according to official figures, with hundreds of new bills criminalising sleeping outside or lingering in public spaces having passed since the supreme court ruled in 2024 such laws were constitutional.