Craig Melvin jokes with Martha Stewart for 'dragging me into' Halloween costume drama

Hollie Beale Sun, November 8, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC

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Craig Melvin interviewed Martha Stewart on the TODAY show Friday morning (Image: undefined)

Martha Stewart has dominated headlines in recent weeks following her controversial 2026 Halloween costume, and she addressed the backlash during an appearance on TODAY.

The 85-year-old businesswoman posted-and subsequently removed-a Halloween photo on Instagram showing herself dressed as a homeless person.

She donned ragged clothing and applied what looked like dirt to her face while holding a sign reading "I Am Hungry Help Me!!"

Martha Stewart 'keeping the backlash alive' after Halloween costume scandal

Martha Stewart apologizes after deleting 'insensitive' homeless costume

The post's caption then urged her followers to purchase her QVC candle collection, marketed as "perfect for Halloween!"

Backlash arrived swiftly, with numerous critics labeling the multimillionaire as "tone-deaf" and "insensitive," among other descriptions.

Martha Stewart's controversial 2026 Halloween costume (Image: marthastewart48/instagram)

Martha joined TODAY Friday morning for an interview with host Craig Melvin. She opened by apologizing for her Halloween outfit while also clarifying the reasoning behind the contentious costume.

She revealed that she had been gardening at her farm throughout the day and hadn't prepared a Halloween costume as she typically does each year.

The media mogul also addressed her earlier remark this week, in which she jokingly blamed Craig for her costume decision, reports the Irish Star.

Martha Stewart explained on the Today show the reasoning behind her Halloween costume (Image: NBC)

Martha had previously claimed that Craig spilled chocolate on her white sweater the previous day, preventing her from wearing it.

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Speaking directly to Craig on air, she said: "I don't blame you at all. It was a joke that I said I blamed you. It was stupid. And then I, tone deaf or whatever I was, according to my grandson, I was tone deaf. I dressed up."

"Craig interjected, pointing out that it wasn't just her grandson who took issue with her ensemble. Marta continued: "Oh, no, no, but that was- he saw the picture first. Because I sent it to him. And I said, 'What do you think?' And 'tone deaf,' he said.

"And it was just stupid. And I apologize because I was not taking, I was not making fun of anybody or making light of the great problems that face our country.

"And I certainly hope our new administration, oh, takes big steps to repair a lot of the damage that's being done and the poor and the hungry and everyone else is taken care of better."

Craig then sought clarification regarding why his name surfaced in the controversy initially, and Martha maintained it was meant as humor.

She said, "Oh, no, I was making a joke. I was giving a talk. I just made a joke that you would spill chocolate on me. And so I couldn't wear that costume, which I had planned to wear on Halloween night to this party."

Craig then told the audience he had already apologized to Martha for the incident, and they had "moved on" at the time.

Martha then further reiterated her apology to TODAY viewers and said: "I'm so sorry. And I hope that my followers and my fans and the rest of America forgive me for doing something that was not meant in any way to be a bad thing."

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”