Backlash to Instagram post
Martha Stewart, the 85-year-old media personality worth an estimated US$400m, issued two apologies after sharing a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween. On October 31, she posted an Instagram image in which she wore ripped jeans and a beanie with dirt on her face. She held a sign that read: "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!" The original caption promoted her QVC candle range. This costume provoked immediate criticism from social media users. One commenter asked why poor people who are dying on the side of the road are a costume, while another told her to "Read the room Martha, people are struggling out here." PR expert Molly McPherson described the outfit as "Insulting? Demeaning? Confusing? All of the above." Many users questioned why a billionaire would find such a costume funny. One person asked, "Why in the hell would you even think about wearing that as a costume?"
Two apologies and industry background
Stewart issued an initial statement on Sunday to media outlets including Page Six and People magazine. She claimed the costume was "intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness" and expressed distress that it offended people. She noted that homelessness remains a significant challenge in America and stated she has spent time supporting charities to combat the social epidemic. Hours after that first response, Stewart wrote a second apology on her Instagram account. She wrote, "It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough. I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am very sorry." The lifestyle entrepreneur, who sold Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia for more than $350m in 2015, was sentenced to five months in prison in 2004 after being found guilty of charges related to an insider trading scandal. Stewart, who became a billionaire briefly when her media empire Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was floated on the stock market in 1999, has since rebuilt her brand. Her career has spanned decades, starting with a catering business in the 1970s before she rose to fame in the 1990s with her magazine. Currently, she stars in a reality television show and works with rapper Snoop Dogg. Official figures show there are at least 770,000 homeless people across the US, and hundreds of new bills have passed since the Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that laws criminalizing sleeping outside or lingering in public spaces were constitutional.
