Martha Stewart says she 'really screwed up' with homeless Halloween costume

Martha Stewart has apologised for posting a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween, saying she "really screwed up".

The photo, shared on Saturday, October 31, as part of a social media post promoting her candles on the shopping channel QVC, showed Stewart in ripped clothing and dirt-like make-up, holding a sign that read "I am hungry". It drew sharp criticism online and was deleted.

Two statements

Stewart's first response defended the idea behind the costume. "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 the entertainment site Page Six on Sunday.

She followed with a fuller apology on Instagram, signed "Martha". "It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up," she wrote, calling the costume insensitive and acknowledging that many people are struggling financially.

Why it struck a nerve

Critics said the costume turned a painful reality for millions of people into a joke, and that pairing it with a product promotion made it worse. Homelessness has risen sharply in the United States in recent years, driven by high housing costs, and charities working with homeless people regularly criticise costumes that treat poverty as a disguise.

Stewart, 85, built a lifestyle empire spanning magazines, television, cookbooks and homeware, and has enjoyed a late-career revival as a social media personality known for her candour. That made the misstep all the more surprising to fans.

A Halloween of backlash

Stewart was not the only celebrity criticised for a Halloween costume this year. Actor Jessica Alba reportedly deleted photos of a costume that referenced a 1990s controversy. Costume controversies have become an annual ritual of social media, where a single photo can travel around the world within hours, and an apology is often expected just as quickly.