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CultureQuiet 9d · day 11

Martha Stewart addresses backlash over homeless Halloween costume

The lifestyle mogul deleted a photo showing her in tattered clothing holding a sign reading "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!" and says she meant to raise awareness, not offend.

newest coverage 9d agosummary written 10d ago135 pieces41k likes & upvotes1.7k comments Google NewsNewswiresMastodonXYouTube

What to know

  • Stewart posted a photo dressed as a homeless person holding a sign reading 'I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!' as part of an Instagram carousel promoting QVC candles.
  • Critics called the costume mocking and out of touch; Stewart deleted the post but has not apologized, instead framing it as awareness-raising.
  • Stewart emphasized her charitable work on homelessness but stopped short of apologizing for the offense caused.

“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.”

Martha Stewart, Lifestyle mogul · Page Six ↗

Martha StewartMartha Stewart Lifestyle mogul and TV personality

Martha Stewart addresses backlash over homeless Halloween costume
pagesix.com

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articles

Peak 20 pieces in 3h at Nov 2, 7 AM; 135 pieces over 11 days (116 articles · 5 videos · 14 posts) Nov 1, 7 AM — 11 pieces · 10 articles · 1 post — Google News 8, Newswires 2, Mastodon 1Nov 1, 10 AM — 13 pieces · 11 articles · 2 posts — Google News 9, Newswires 2, X 2Nov 1, 1 PM — 18 pieces · 17 articles · 1 post — Newswires 9, Google News 8, Mastodon 1Nov 1, 4 PM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Google News 2, Mastodon 1Nov 1, 7 PM — 9 pieces · 8 articles · 1 post — Google News 5, Newswires 3, Mastodon 1Nov 1, 10 PM — 6 pieces · 4 articles · 2 posts — Google News 3, Newswires 1, Mastodon 1, +1 moreNov 2, 1 AM — 12 pieces · 12 articles — Google News 7, Newswires 5Nov 2, 4 AM — 9 pieces · 6 articles · 3 posts — Google News 4, Mastodon 3, Newswires 2Nov 2, 7 AM — 20 pieces · 19 articles · 1 video — Google News 11, Newswires 8, YouTube 1Nov 2, 10 AM — 9 pieces · 7 articles · 1 video · 1 post — Newswires 4, Google News 3, YouTube 1, +1 moreNov 2, 1 PM — 9 pieces · 9 articles — Google News 7, Newswires 2Nov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 video — YouTube 1Nov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 7 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 2Nov 4, 10 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Nov 4, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Nov 4, 4 PM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Nov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Newswires 3, Google News 1Nov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 video — YouTube 1Nov 6, 10 PM — 1 piece · 1 video — YouTube 1Nov 7, 1 AM — quietNov 7, 4 AM — quietNov 7, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 7, 10 AM — quietNov 7, 1 PM — quietNov 7, 4 PM — quietNov 7, 7 PM — quietNov 7, 10 PM — quietNov 8, 1 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Nov 8, 4 AM — quietNov 8, 7 AM — quietNov 8, 10 AM — quietNov 8, 1 PM — quietNov 8, 4 PM — quietNov 8, 7 PM — quietNov 8, 10 PM — quietNov 9, 1 AM — quietNov 9, 4 AM — quietNov 9, 7 AM — quietNov 9, 10 AM — quietNov 9, 1 PM — quietNov 9, 4 PM — quietNov 9, 7 PM — quietNov 9, 10 PM — quietNov 10, 1 AM — quietNov 10, 4 AM — quietNov 10, 7 AM — quietNov 10, 10 AM — quietNov 10, 1 PM — quietNov 10, 4 PM — quietNov 10, 7 PM — quietNov 10, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quiet 1
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  1. 1

    Martha Stewart responds, says costume intended to raise awareness

    Stewart issued a statement saying she was "distressed" the costume offended people and explaining it was meant to bring awareness to homelessness. She cited her charitable support for homelessness organizations but did not apologize.

    “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.”
    — Martha Stewart
    1. 49 outlets Martha Stewart deletes ‘offensive’ Halloween costume photo after being accused of mocking homeless people

      first by NY Post, 10d ago · also The Hollywood Reporter, IMDb, Just Jared, Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo, Rolling Stone +42

      64 more headlines

    • Martha Stewart shared photo seemingly dressed up as a homeless person for Halloween. She has since deleted the post.

      @PopBaseX10d ago33k▲view on X ↗
    2 more of the top 3 · 7 posts in this stretch
    • jmeosbn@mas.to

      Seems like she accidentally posted photos – along with her commercial Halloween tat – of the real Martha enjoying making fun of homeless people (the mask slipped, as they say) then tries the “increasing awareness” PR play. These are the people who insist that the wealthiest country on the planet has no safety net and that medical bankruptcy is a…

      jmeosbn@mas.toMastodon9d agoview on Mastodon ↗

    • Martha Stewart addresses her homeless person Halloween costume in statement to Page Six: “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

      @PopBaseX10d ago8.0k▲view on X ↗
    all of them →
  2. background

    Critics call costume offensive and out of touch — The photo drew backlash on Reddit and other platforms, with commenters interpreting the costume as mocking the poor and describing it as "out of touch" and "dystopian." Stewart deleted the post shortly after the criticism emerged.

  3. background

    Martha Stewart posts homeless costume photo to Instagram — Stewart shared a photo in an Instagram carousel promoting her QVC candles showing herself in tattered clothing with dirt-like makeup on her face, holding a clipboard reading "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!" She captioned it "My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!"

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets What Martha Stewart's Homeless Costume Teaches About Crisis Apologies

    first by Forbes, 9d ago · also NY Post

    1 more headline

and 3 smaller pieces

What people are saying 4 voices from 2 sites · best of 7 · verbatim