Martha Stewart Deleted Her Halloween Costume Post — Now She's 'Distressed' By The Backlash, But Did She Actually Apologize?

Well, the Halloween discourse has found its main character, and it's Martha Stewart. The lifestyle queen has broken her silence after her costume photo got deleted and dragged, and the statement is raising eyebrows of its own.

What Martha Posted (And Quickly Un-Posted)

According to Page Six, Martha shared a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween: tattered clothes, dirt smeared on her face, and a sign reading "I am hungry. Help me."

Variety reports the Instagram post was deleted promptly after people called the costume offensive and in poor taste.

Per TMZ, the photo was part of a carousel meant to promote QVC candles. Followers screen-grabbed it before it vanished, which is how it kept circulating. Page Six adds that critics on Reddit called the look "offensive" and "out of touch."

The Statement

Martha gave the same statement to TMZ and Page Six. The key line:

"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 went on to call homelessness one of America's "greatest challenges and ongoing crises." She said it's something she cares about deeply and has spent "a significant amount of time and effort" supporting charities that combat it. She also said she's "committed to continuing to make a difference."

So... Was That An Apology?

Here's where the framing gets interesting. Page Six's headline says she addressed the backlash "but stops short of apologizing." Read the statement yourself: she says she's distressed people were offended, but the word "sorry" doesn't appear in the portions the outlets published.

That's our read of the published quotes, not a claim about what she may have said elsewhere. Martha also leaned on her long Halloween résumé, noting she's spent decades teaching people to celebrate with recipes, crafts and hosting tips.

The Rest Of Her Halloween Feed

For context, Page Six notes the same carousel included throwbacks: a haunted horsewoman look from 2009, a surfer outfit from Bette Midler's 1998 Hulaween gala, and a comic book character from 2017. Variety adds she also posted festive yard decor and appeared on Today beforehand to share Halloween ideas, including a no-bake spiderweb cheesecake.

Also floating around: Variety notes Cate Blanchett is set to play Martha in the upcoming biopic Good Thing. Make of that what you will.

The Tea ☕

• Martha posted, then deleted, a Halloween photo dressed as a homeless person, reportedly as part of a QVC candle promo carousel.
• Online critics called it offensive and out of touch.
• She says she's "distressed" it offended people and that she meant to raise awareness, but the published quotes don't include an outright "sorry."

Your Turn

Is "I'm distressed you were offended" good enough, or did this call for a straight-up apology? And what's the line between awareness and bad costume call? Sound off below. 👇

Sources: Variety, Page Six, TMZ