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Martha Stewart is bizarrely pointing the finger at Today show co-host Craig Melvin for her controversial Halloween costume.
The 85-year-old lifestyle mogul is sharing more context behind her decision to dress as a homeless person for Halloween while carrying a sign that read “I am hungry. Please help!!” Stewart was met with backlash after she posted and quickly deleted pictures of herself in the costume. She issued an apology days later.
While speaking onstage Tuesday at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally in Orlando, Florida, Stewart said that she picked out the costume after her original outfit got dirty while baking during her Friday appearance on Today. She was wearing a white sweater with an American flag and an Olympics hat standing beside Melvin, who was dressed up as Stewart’s pal, Snoop Dogg.
“[Melvin] spilled chocolate all over my sweater that I was going to wear on Halloween night,” she explained, according to footage shared by TMZ. She went on to say that the shirt was “too dirty” to wear, and she only had “10 minutes to get dressed” before her event, “so the easiest costume was to get dressed up as a bum. A hobo.”
As the crowd laughed, Stewart added while chuckling: “I looked at myself. I said, ‘You really look hungry and homeless.’ So I wrote a sign that said ‘I’m hungry.’”
“Boy, did that go off,” she said.
The Independent has contacted Melvin for comment.
Stewart — who is estimated to be worth more than $400 million — initially told NBC News that she had not meant any harm after she was criticized as “tone deaf” for the costume.
“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 told the outlet, adding that 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.”
She added: “I am committed to continuing to make a difference.”
After social media users pointed out that Stewart had not apologized for causing offense, she shared a second message online Sunday.
“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough,” she wrote.
“I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny.”
