Martha Stewart says she ‘really screwed up’ with homeless Halloween costume

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Martha Stewart has said she is “distressed” and “sorry,” after her choice of Halloween costume sparked a backlash.

In a since-deleted image on Instagram, the TV personality, entrepreneur and author — who is America’s first self-made female billionaire — appeared dressed as a homeless person, wearing a black hat, distressed jeans and a cardigan, with black marks smeared across her face, as she held up a sign that read “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!” In the post’s caption, Stewart promoted her candle collection.

Critics soon weighed in on social media, with one saying, “I think that Martha Stewart wins this year for the most tone-deaf Halloween costume.”

Another described the move as “grotesque, disgusting, morally bankrupt, incredibly wrong,” adding, “What in the ‘let them eat cake’ is this costume?”

More than 700,000 people in the US are homeless, according to official data.

Addressing the uproar the following day, Stewart said her look was meant to raise awareness.

“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,” she told Page Six on Sunday.

“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,” Stewart added.

Later that day, she issued an apology in a statement released on her Instagram story.

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

CNN has reached out to her representatives for further comment.

Stewart’s costume was not the first to spark controversy this year. In August, Target apologized and stopped selling a Halloween costume that depicted a circus clown after critics said it evoked Blackface and minstrel shows.

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玛莎·斯图尔特表示，她对自己选择的万圣节服装引发的强烈反对感到“沮丧”和“抱歉”。

在Instagram上一张后来被删除的照片中，这位电视名人、企业家兼作家——美国首位白手起家的女亿万富翁——装扮成无家可归的人，戴着黑色帽子，穿着破洞牛仔裤和开襟羊毛衫，脸上涂着黑色的痕迹，举着一块牌子，上面写着“我饿了，救救我！！”。在帖子标题中，斯图尔特宣传了她的蜡烛系列。

评论家们很快在社交媒体上发表了看法，其中一位评论家说：“我认为玛莎·斯图尔特今年赢得了最不得体的万圣节装扮奖。”

另一人则形容此举“怪诞、令人作呕、道德败坏、极其错误”，并补充道：“这身装扮到底是什么鬼？”

官方数据显示，美国有超过70万人无家可归。

第二天，斯图尔特就此事引发的轩然大波回应说，她的造型旨在提高人们的意识。

“我昨天的万圣节装扮本意是想让人们更多地关注无家可归这个非常严肃的问题，但却冒犯了人们，这让我感到非常难过，这绝非我的本意，”她周日告诉《第六页》。

斯图尔特补充道：“无家可归问题仍然是美国面临的最大挑战和持续危机之一，我对此深感关心，并投入了大量时间和精力来支持那些致力于对抗这一持续社会问题的慈善机构。”

当天晚些时候，她在 Instagram 快拍上发表声明道歉。

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“承认自己犯了大错真的很难，”斯图尔特写道。“我之前的声明还不够充分。我知道很多人经济拮据。像我那样穿戏服既不体贴也不好笑。我深感抱歉。”

CNN已联系她的代表以获取更多评论。

斯图尔特的服装并非今年第一个引发争议的服装。今年8月，塔吉特百货公司就一款描绘马戏团小丑的万圣节服装道歉，并停止销售该服装。此前，批评人士指出，这款服装让人联想到黑脸表演和滑稽剧。