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 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.
Combining a destitute-themed costume with a brand promotion sparked a significant wave of outrage. Based on a Newsweek overview of the public response, individuals on X slammed the upload as insensitive and oblivious, with multiple users highlighting the high volume of Americans struggling with housing insecurity. Conversely, Men’s Journal noted that supporters came to Stewart’s defense, claiming that detractors were blowing a simple Halloween outfit entirely out of proportion. As the criticism intensified, the publication was deleted, and Stewart restricted the comment sections on several of her remaining uploads.
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.
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 a staple of Stewart’s brand for decades. Over the years, she has put together elaborate outfits and showcased them in the yearly Halloween edition of her magazine. As Marie Claire notes, she graced the cover of that 2024 issue dressed as Queen Elizabeth I in a golden gown, a white lace ruff, and a crown, while holding an orb and a scepter that were actually just a holiday ornament and a curtain rod. Her staff used the ensemble to crown 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 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 said whether she plans any further response, such as naming the charities she referred to in her first statement.
