There’s already commentary about Halloween 2026 feeling muted and boring, which I agree with. Halloween isn’t my holiday, but even I noticed that a lot of people just opted out or phoned it in. There is one grand Halloween tradition though: at least one celebrity gets canceled every single year for a stupid, racist, thoughtless and/or cruel Halloween costume. This year’s winner is Martha Stewart, who posted her Halloween costume in a now-deleted Instagram post. She was a “homeless person.” In this economy!! She ended up trying to explain herself in her first statement, then she posted a second statement with an apology.
The since-deleted photo, captured by outlets including TMZ, showed Stewart wearing ripped jeans and makeup, giving the illusion of dirt on her face, while holding up a sign that read: “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Sunday, Nov. 1, Stewart said her costume was “intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness” and she is now “distressed” that the costume left some “offended.”
“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. She continued, “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,” the lifestyle guru added. “I am committed to continuing to make a difference.”
Hours later, Stewart shared a follow-up statement on her Instagram, writing, “It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough.”
“I know many people are economically struggling,” she continued. “Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I’m very sorry.”
I’ve already seen some Martha-defenders say that her costume was a variation on a “hobo” costume, which… no. It wasn’t. That’s a whole other thing. Her costume absolutely mocked (and punched down on) homeless people. Her first statement was equally stupid, and I would imagine that the second statement/apology was written by her frantic team. That’s what the apology IG looked like too – like she highlighted a statement written for her by her publicist. Idiotic. Cancel her!!
Photos courtesy of Martha’s Instagram and Cover Images.
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- Paramount+’s World series premiere of ‘Dutton Ranch at AMC Lincoln Square 13 Featuring: Martha Stewart Where: New York, New York, United States When: 12 May 2026 Credit: M10S/TheNews2/Cover Images
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- Paramount+’s World series premiere of ‘Dutton Ranch at AMC Lincoln Square 13 Featuring: Martha Stewart Where: New York, New York, United States When: 12 May 2026 Credit: M10S/TheNews2/Cover Images
On so many levels and in so many ways you have again and again held yourself above the fray so to speak… better than and so on..
How much of your money goes to help the homeless, or anyone, Martha.. ?
Not the first ” rich” person to be completely clue less. Sad.
Guys… as I’ve said before, I have our chant when the revolution comes: “Eat the rich, piss on their bones, shit on their graves!!!!
See, it’s good. Really rolls off the tongue, I walk around my house chanting sometimes, it’s nice.
Also, another celebitchy commenter mentioned we should change the end to something else because after all, we would be eating the rich, so wouldn’t we already be shitting their bones out.
But I say, hey let’s not be pedantic and gross.
K, awesome.
That is crazy. Snobby Martha thinks she can do what she wants because she’s a senior. This really tells me how much time she spends thinking that the rich version of her pisses all of us off, so she thought we would all enjoy looking at the poor version of martha. This is how you know that some people are really disconnected from the real world and really spend a lot of time thinking about themselves vs the outside world. She thinks she’s perfect, but she’ll do imperfect that 1 day for us all poor peasants looking at her in admiration
I’ve never liked her. I know some people find her charming or whatnot, but she’s always seemed like a complete snob to me, and any “relatability” was put on.
I’m projecting a bit, but even the dogs seem like they know that this photo shoot is a very bad idea.
Lol Blithe you are right! Even the dogs are over it. The Chow is saying “I tried to tell her guys…”
@Blithe lol you’re right!
Love this! Forget about reading the room, just check the dogs.
The irony of all of this is the homelessness/economic crisis we are currently experiencing with skyrocketing rents and home prices while wages and salaries remain stagnant or jobs disappear due to AI is 100% caused by the rich – who don’t pay any or enough taxes, buy properties and hike up the rents, don’t pay workers a livable wage, oppose unions, vote Republican even when there’s a pedophile on the ticket, and hoard all of the resources. This is not lost on me when I look at this tasteless costume.
It is their greed that got us here. So I can’t say I am surprised to see this level of tone deaf from Martha.
They are playing in our faces, and laughing at the peasantry’s misery that they collectively inflicted, all while settling the world on fire and polluting our oceans with heir McYachts. In my day rich people gave back to society – they built universities, donated to the arts, and paid taxes even when their kids when to private schools to better the public school system.
What is their value today? I’m seriously asking. Because it seems like the world would be a much better place if they all got on Elon’s rocket to Mars and fucked off forever. No more data centers. Democracy. No more Fox News, or CNEWs, Newsmas, propaganda machines. No more children mining cobalt in the Congo for tech bros. No more wars that the rich profit from.
She could not have worse timing. Rich people don’t get that we have been pushed too far, and soon we will have nothing to lose. The world is about to get very dangerous for them. No wonder they are all building bunkers.
Hear hear! Brilliantly said, Side Eye.
Thank you Glamarazzi. I know I am long winded lol but I am so tired of these parasites. They’ve been pointing the finger at immigrants for the very harm THEY are causing. They have caused so much violence and chaos in the world. Not to mention the violence they create when they take home billions while their full time employees need food assistance or are sleeping in their cars – which is a form of violence too.
This reminds me of Justin Timberlake’s clueless Wedding Congratulations video from homeless people. Same level of derogatory you know that we’re all above these losers joke. Completely out of touch and lacking empathy.
Omg you’re so right. And that one was even worse, they were exploiting actual people and making them the butt of their joke. So gross. What a way to start a marriage.
That’s right, Martha—every homeless person I encounter is also begging for help alongside a purebred champion Chow.
Either put your money where your mouth is, Martha, or take a seat.
Yikes, Martha! How could someone who made her fortune as a taste setter do something so crass and tone deaf?
My question as well! This is a huge fumble for Martha— what the HELL was she thinking??
She has always been sociopathic. Always.
What stupefies me is that she said she was trying to “bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness” — by …. ??? donating? asking others to donate? volunteering? Nope, by mocking.
Then in the next breath, she says her costume was “not funny.” So which is it? Were you trying to raise awareness or be funny?
I think the kindest possible explanation here is sudden-onset dementia.
Because otherwise she’s just as horrible as many of her public actions and statements have previously led us to believe.
Hmm.
For those of us long baffled by her success with women (she’s ALWAYS been a misogynista), this comes as less than zero surprise. She has never borne the burden of empathy or kindness. Ever. This is always who she’s been. Snide, insufferable, superior, and above everyone else. Particularly women who might dare to dip a toe into “her” professional pool. She has beef with every woman she has viewed as a threat. She is the constant. Remember that. She’s the problem.
Absolutely.
She could have dressed up as Marie antoinette she’s so out of touch and en titled no thought of helping the homeless
This is completely on-brand for Martha. She has shown us who she is for a long time.
Fun fact: While obviously personally extravagant, Marie Antoinette was actually quite compassionate and charitably minded. She gave generously in public and also helped the poor privately. On one occasion, she and her husband reportedly donated their entire monthly allowances to help victims of a disaster. During a severe food crisis, she drastically curtailed her own spending to help the hungry. She is also said to have donated as much as $25 million (in today’s money) from her private funds during a single winter of severe food shortages. Her private donations were often anonymous.
The image we have of her is largely a caricature propagated by revolutionaries. The image we have of Martha, on the other hand, comes from Martha herself. She has never been a particularly kind or generous woman.
P.S. I’m a bit of a Marie Antoinette defender. She and Anne Boleyn got two of the worst deals in history.
YES to all of this, thank you!!
If she really worked with homeless charities she would know that not all people who are homeless dress in rags and have dirt smudged on their face. She’s just a terrible person and I hope the people who were supporting her when she spoke out of turn about Meghan in an interview realise that now.
Many unhoused people have actual jobs and don’t look like bums. OMFG! If she really wanted to help homeless people, she could visit a shelter and get to work. Or she could start a foundation. She certainly has the money to actually help.
As someone who interacts with unhoused people every day at my job, I have no words. Except to agree with @Punkymama about the chow (and to note that the French bulldog probably didn’t come from a shelter, either).
Finally know who she voted for. ugh
Trash person. That’s all I got.
Did she fire her handler? She’s really boldly letting it all hang out these days.
I have been a Martha fan since her early days and was able to overlook a lot . . . but not this. I have no words. No apology can make a dent in this. Despicable!
Same, Ann. I’ve always been amused by her. But this is appalling and cruel.
So, my mother-in-law is a fan and has been since her early days. We would refer to her as Darth Martha (behind her back) when we thought she was being obviously mean, but WTF. This is a whole other monster who needs to fuck all the way off, she is not our grandma and bitch we’re not buying any of it anymore. You think daisy troye, newest bravo housewife and her personal makeup artist did this to her, so unbelievably tone deaf, they should both be strung up!
I wonder if she’s going to make an immediate huge donation to a relevant cause, or if that would just keep the scandal going. Surely before the end of the year she’s going to make a massive donation somewhere to try to repair this.
She needs better people around her. I can’t believe that she would’ve done this and not bounced it off of anyone.
What I dislike is that, after she gets called out, then she makes that lame excuse of “trying to bring awareness to the serious issue of homelessness.” (We were already aware, Martha.) And then, as if that wasn’t enough, she starts to lecture people about homelessness remaining one of America’s biggest challenges, and she lists all she’s done in the field of entertainment. Okay. Alas, then Martha gets to the old standby of “sorry if you were offended.” Later, in the second post, she then says that the earlier post “didn’t go far enough.” (Wrong, the statement was a lie, Martha.) Then, she finally apologizes for wearing people’s plight as a “costume.” What I don’t understand is how one still doesn’t know any better at her age! It’s like that family from Mormon Wives showing themselves and their kids wearing a “costume” of the Kennedy assassination as a Halloween costume. Yeah, people with kids did that.
She’s trash. I’m very surprised she’s apologizing. I thought she would blow it off. Makes me wonder if she’s going to try something new.
I’ve always liked her ability to not care what others think about her, but she’s passed over into utter arrogance. She acts likes she’s the only Happy Homemaker brand maker.
A huge donation to a few homeless shelters would be in order. What she should have done in the first place if she actually cared, which clearly she does not. She doesn’t seem to put her money where her mouth is. She has always had the reputation of not being a very nice person, and she continues to prove it.