Initially, the 85-year-old lifestyle mogul defended the appearance as a means to generate awareness, but she shared a more comprehensive apology hours afterward, admitting that her first reply had missed the mark.
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 featured 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 preliminary remark that stopped short of an apology
Before the apology, Stewart addressed the controversy in comments to Page Six. She said she was distressed that the costume had offended people, insisted that had never been her intention and said the idea was to raise awareness of homelessness. She also said she has supported charities that work on the issue, though she did not name them.
That explanation did little to settle critics, who questioned how a costume shared alongside merchandise could double as advocacy. Stewart repeated the point in comments under a Just Jared Instagram post, saying the outfit was meant to bring hunger and homelessness to mind but that she had not explained it well, Newsweek reported. Actor Indya Moore pushed back there, arguing that Halloween is not the moment to dress up as people living through a crisis. Hours later, Stewart published the second message, acknowledging directly that her earlier statement had been inadequate.
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.
Outfits transforming vulnerable or marginalized populations into mere costumes have faced continuous criticism. Back in August, Target issued an apology and withdrew a clown outfit from its inventory once detractors argued it brought to mind blackface and minstrel performance aesthetics.
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 noted that she has also shared throwback photos of past outfits, including a haunted horsewoman from 2009 and a costume she wore to Bette Midler’s 1998 Hulaween gala. She has also described decorating the gate of her farm each year and handing visiting trick-or-treaters a mix of candy and a little cash.
That history helps clarify why this year’s outfit fell so flat among a large portion of her fanbase. Typically centered on artistry, imagination, and grandeur, Stewart’s Halloween shares took a different turn this time by casting a genuine and widespread struggle in the part of a persona while simultaneously tying it to a promotional push.
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.
