Martha Stewart spent Halloween dressed as a homeless person, dirt smeared on her face, holding a clipboard sign that read “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!” The photo was not a leak or a paparazzi shot. She posted it herself, inside a carousel selling her QVC candles.
The costume shot was the last slide of the post, captioned “My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!” Screenshots hit Reddit before she could take the whole thing down, and the reviews were rough: offensive, gross, and out of touch, especially coming from a woman worth an estimated $400 million.
“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.”
Martha Stewart, in a statement Sunday
On Sunday she answered the backlash with that statement, saying homelessness is a crisis she cares deeply about and has spent significant time and effort supporting charities that fight it. She said she is committed to continuing to make a difference. The statement stopped short of an apology.
Stewart calls Halloween one of her favorite holidays of the year, and her own statement notes her editors crowned her Queen of Halloween this year. This is the costume that will be remembered from it.
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