Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is apologizing (again) after facing backlash for her controversial homeless Halloween costume, admitting she made a “stupid” decision by blaming Today‘s Craig Melvin.
The lifestyle mogul, 85, appeared on the Today show Friday, November 6, where she addressed host Craig Melvin directly. Martha previously suggested that an accidental chocolate spill during a live segment forced her to abandon her original Halloween costume. That forced her to throw together the now-controversial look.
“I was making a joke, I was giving a talk and I just made a joke that you had spilled chocolate on me and I couldn’t wear that costume,” Stewart explained.
The controversy began after Martha, who is featured on the 16th season of Real Housewives of New York, attended an event where she claimed Melvin’s chocolate mishap prompted her last-minute costume change.
Craig admitted he was surprised to find himself pulled into the controversy, as they had already put the incident behind them. “But I did apologize for spilling the chocolate. We moved on,” he reminded Martha.
She agreed that they had both moved on, but made it clear that the costume controversy was her responsibility. “It wasn’t your fault about the chocolate,” she clarified. “I made a mistake. I was stupid. What else can I say?”
Martha then issued a broader apology to viewers, acknowledging that her costume and subsequent comments had offended people. “I’m so sorry. I hope that my followers, my fans, the rest of America forgive me for doing something that was not meant to be a bad thing. I was not making fun of anybody or making light of the great problems that face our country.”
The backlash initially erupted after Stewart posted — and quickly deleted — a Halloween photo of herself wearing tattered clothing, with dirt smeared across her face. She held a sign that read, “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!”
