Martha Stewart apologized on TODAY following her controversial Halloween costume that appeared to depict a homeless person and said Craig Melvin was not at fault for her wearing the outfit that sparked a backlash.
The 85-year-old lifestyle guru has been facing criticism since she posted a now-deleted photo of her looking disheveled while holding a clipboard that read, โI AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!โ for Halloween, per NBC News. During her appearance on TODAY Nov. 6, Stewart addressed the controversy and how Craig got roped into it.
โI made a mistake,โ Stewart said. โI was stupid, what else can I say? I am so sorry, and I hope that my followers and my fans and the rest of America forgives me for doing something that was not meant in any way to be a bad thing.โ
Craig then asked Stewart about reports that said she claimed she wore the last-minute costume because he spilled chocolate on her sweater during their TODAY Halloween special segment on Oct. 30, where Craig was dressed as rapper Snoop Dogg.
โI didnโt have a costume because you had spilled some chocolate on my white sweater, and I donโt blame you at all,โ she told Craig. โIt was a joke that I said I blamed you. It was stupid.โ
Stewart said she was giving a talk and made a joke that Craig had spilled chocolate on her so she couldnโt wear that costume and pivoted to the other one instead.
โOf course, they picked up on that because youโre you,โ Stewart said.
โBut I did apologize for spilling the chocolate,โ Craig said. โWe moved on.โ
โAnd it wasnโt your fault,โ Stewart said.
She also shared feedback she received from her family.
โTone-deaf, or whatever I was. According to my grandson, I was tone-deaf,โ she said. โHe saw the picture first because I sent it to him and I said, โWhat do you think?โ โTone-deaf,โ he said. It was just stupid, and I apologize because I was not making fun of anybody or making light of the great problems that face our country.โ
Stewart, who will return to TODAY next week for the annual All-Star Thanksgiving segment, shared what she learned from the controversy.
โPay closer attention to social issues,โ she said. โBe aware. Iโm aware of all those social issues, as you can imagine, and I care desperately about all the problems facing us.โ
For her Halloween costume, Stewart wore torn clothing and covered her face in makeup to resemble dirt. Her Instagram post with a picture of the costume doubled as an ad for her candle collection on QVC. โMy QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!โ she captioned the since-deleted post.
After some criticized the costume for being โout of touchโ and โdystopian,โ according to NBC News, Stewart reacted to the negative responses in a statement.
โI 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,โ she said in a statement to NBC News on Nov. 1.
Homelessness, she wrote, โcontinues to remain one of Americaโs 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.โ
At the end of her statement, Stewart added, โI am committed to continuing to make a difference.โ
Stewart then penned a second statement that she shared on her Instagram page on Nov. 1, as well.
โItโs hard to admit when youโve really screwed up. My earlier statement didnโt 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,โ she wrote.
The post has since been deleted.
