Martha Stewart’s homeless Halloween costume was ‘intended’ to raise ‘awareness’

Martha Stewart’s decision to dress as a homeless person for Halloween was “intended” to raise “awareness”.

The multimillionaire lifestyle guru – who is said to be worth around US$400 million ($712m) – sparked outrage over the weekend after she shared a picture of herself wearing torn clothes with dirt smeared across her face and wearing a sign around her neck which read: “I am hungry. Help me!!” The Instagram post was reportedly captioned: “My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!”

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However, the stunt sparked outrage and Stewart later deleted the post and shared a statement explaining the costume was intended to raise awareness of the “very serious subject” of homelessness in the US. Stewart told PEOPLE: “I’ve spent decades teaching others how to celebrate Halloween – sharing fun, festive recipes, providing unique craft ideas and giving tips on entertaining and hosting to make the most of one of my favourite holidays of the year. “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. “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. “I am committed to continuing to make a difference.” However, Stewart later conceded her statement “didn’t go far enough” and she issued an apology via Instagram admitting her costume was “insensitive” and “not funny”. She wrote: “It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. 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. Martha.”

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Stewart has previously been open about her vast wealth. She was once a billionaire at the height of her fame before legal troubles in the 2000s when she was convicted on charges relating to insider trading and sentenced to five months in prison. During a recent appearance on the Other People’s Business podcast, Stewart admitted she used to earn around “US$65m a year in royalties” from a previous deal with Kmart and she struggled as her empire collapsed but she’s now built her business back up again. She said: “I fell in a hole, and I lost about US$1b ... [The] lawyers took me to the cleaners. ... I’m back [now]. I’m pretty good.” First published by Bangshowbiz, republished here with permission + edits.

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