Martha Stewart apologized on TODAY after her controversial Halloween costume depicting a homeless person, saying Craig Melvin was not at fault for wearing the outfit that sparked backlash.
The 85-year-old lifestyle guru posted a sign that read: “HELP ME I’M HUNGRY!” He has been under fire ever since he posted a now-deleted photo of himself looking disheveled while holding a billboard that read: for Halloween, according to NBC News. Appearing on the TODAY show on Nov. 6, Stewart addressed the controversy and how Craig was involved in the situation.
“I made a mistake,” Stewart said. “I was stupid, what else can I say? I’m so sorry and I hope my followers, my fans, and the rest of America will forgive me for doing something that was in no way intended to be a bad thing.”
Craig then asked Stewart about reports that Craig claimed he wore a last-minute costume because he spilled chocolate on his sweater during the Oct. 30 TODAY Halloween special in which he dressed as rapper Snoop Dogg.
“I didn’t have a costume because you spilled some chocolate on my white sweater and I don’t blame you at all,” she told Craig. “It was a joke when I said I blamed you. It was stupid.”
Stewart said she was giving a speech and joked that Craig spilled chocolate on her, so she couldn’t wear that costume and switched to the other one instead.
“Of course, they understood because you were you,” Stewart said.
“But I apologized for spilling the chocolate,” Craig said. “We moved on.”
“And it wasn’t your fault,” Stewart said.
He also shared the feedback he received from his family.
“I was tone deaf or whatever. According to my grandson, I was tone deaf,” he said. “He saw the picture first because I sent it to him and said, ‘What do you think?’ I said. “Tone deaf,” he said. This was just stupid and I apologize because I wasn’t making fun of anyone or making light of the huge issues facing our country.
Stewart, who will return to TODAY next week for the annual All-Star Thanksgiving episode, shared what he learned from the controversy.
“Pay more attention to social issues,” he said. “Be aware. As you can imagine, I am aware of all these social issues and I care deeply about all the issues we face.”
For her Halloween costume, Stewart wore torn clothes and covered her face with makeup that resembled dirt. The Instagram post featuring a picture of the costume doubled as an advertisement for her candle collection on QVC. “My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!” she captioned the post, which has since been deleted.
After some criticized the costume as “disconnected” and “dystopian,” Stewart reacted to the negative reaction with a statement, according to NBC News.
“I regret that my Halloween costume yesterday, which was intended to bring more awareness to the very serious issue of homelessness, offended people, which was never my intention,” he told NBC News on Nov. 1.
Homelessness, he wrote, “remains one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises; it is an issue I care deeply about and have devoted a significant amount of time and effort to support charities combating this ongoing social epidemic.”
At the end of his statement, Stewart added: “I am committed to continuing to make a difference.”
Stewart later wrote a second statement, which he shared on his Instagram page on November 1.
“It’s hard to accept when you’ve really screwed up. My previous statement didn’t go far enough. I know a lot of people are struggling financially. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I’m so sorry,” she wrote.
The post was later deleted.