Martha Stewart Says She’s ‘Distressed’ After Her Homeless Halloween Costume Draws Backlash

Stewart deleted the Instagram post and says the look was meant to raise awareness of homelessness, though her statement stops short of an apology.

Martha Stewart smiling on stage at the 2019 Maricopa Home and Garden Show in Scottsdale, Arizona

Photo by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA)

Martha Stewart is answering for her Halloween costume. On Saturday she shared Instagram photos of herself dressed as a homeless person, in torn clothes and dirt-style makeup, holding a sign that read “I am hungry. Help me!!” The shots sat in a carousel that also plugged her candles. The post has since been deleted, Variety reports.

On Sunday, Stewart said she was “distressed” that the costume “has offended people, which was never my intention.” She said the look was meant to draw “more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness,” pointed to the time and effort she has put into charities working on the issue, and said she remains “committed to continuing to make a difference.”

What the statement doesn’t include is an apology, a gap Page Six flagged in its report.

Variety on X · November 1, 2026