The Aporia · Martha Stewart addresses backlash to homeless Halloween costume: 'I really screwed up'

Martha Stewart addresses backlash to homeless Halloween costume: 'I really screwed up'

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗

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Bishop, H. (2026, November 2). Martha Stewart addresses backlash to homeless Halloween costume: 'I really screwed up'. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/martha-stewart-halloween-costume-homeless-b1303246.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Quick Summary

Martha Stewart sparked controversy by dressing up as a homeless person for Halloween, holding a sign that read "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!", which offended many social media users who found the costume insensitive and inappropriate. In response to the backlash, Stewart apologized, admitting she had made a mistake and acknowledged that her costume was not funny or appropriate. She initially claimed her intent was to raise awareness about homelessness but later issued a more sincere apology for being insensitive. The article highlights the broader issue of homelessness in America, with official figures indicating at least 770,000 homeless people currently in the US.

Written by AI on 2026-11-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On November 1, Martha Stewart faced backlash for her Halloween costume depicting a homeless person holding a sign that read "I am hungry help me!!". The image was posted and then quickly deleted from her Instagram account. On November 2, Stewart responded by admitting she had made a mistake and apologized for the insensitivity of her costume, which aimed to raise awareness about homelessness but instead offended many people. She stated in an Instagram post: "It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up," emphasizing her commitment to supporting charities that combat homelessness despite the controversy. The apology received mixed reactions on social media, with some users continuing to criticize Stewart's approach and suggesting more constructive ways to raise awareness about the issue.

Written for “Martha Stewart Homeless Costume Controversy” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.

Why this leaning score

The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 2 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.

Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.

Leaning score withheld for article 123092: no verified evidence · logged 2026-11-02

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64/100

Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Who wrote this

Holly Bishop

93 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Also by Holly Bishop

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 93 articles by Holly Bishop →

Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)

The 85-year-old lifestyle guru sparked controversy online when she shared a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person on Saturday, October 31. asserted

she → spark → Saturday

In a since-deleted photo, Stewart can be seen wearing ripped jeans with dirt on her face, while holding up a sign that read: “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!” asserted

I → delete → ME

Unimpressed users took to social media to express their frustration with the look. asserted

users → take → look

“Imagine being that comfortable and that out of touch at the same time,” said one. asserted

one → imagine → time

“How insensitive do you have to be to dress up as a homeless person?,” said another. asserted

another → have → person

The 85-year-old has now responded to the backlash, stating that it was “never my intention” to offend and that her costume was “intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness”. asserted

costume → respond → homelessness

In her first statement addressing the controversial costume, she said:“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. asserted

that → address → epidemic

“I am committed to continuing to make a difference.” asserted

I → commit → difference

In a follow-up statement, she apologised and said her previous comments “didn’t go far enough”. asserted

comments → apologise → statement

“It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up. asserted

you → admit → ?

My earlier statement didn't go far enough. asserted

statement → go → ?

I know many people are suffering economically. asserted

people → know → ?

Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. asserted

I → wear → costume

The picture appeared to have been shared accidentally, as it was included in a carousel promoting her candle collection on QVC. asserted

it → appear → QVC

The caption of the post read: “My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!” asserted

candles → read → Halloween

Some were sceptical about Stewart claiming that she was trying to raise awareness through her outfit. asserted

she → claim → outfit

“You have enough money to raise awareness without turning homelessness into a Halloween costume,” wrote one, while another added, “why not donate to a battered women’s shelter? Or fund an entire soup kitchen?” asserted

another → have → kitchen

Martha Stewart addresses backlash to homeless Halloween costume: 'I really screwed up'

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Claims (17 extracted, 0 hedged)