Martha Stewart Apologizes for Homeless Halloween Costume

Martha Stewart, a TV personality, entrepreneur, and author, faced public backlash after posting a Halloween costume resembling a homeless person on Instagram. The image, which has since been deleted, showed her wearing a black hat, distressed jeans, and a cardigan, with black marks across her face and a sign reading 'I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!'.

Critics on social media condemned the costume as tone-deaf and insensitive, with one calling it 'the most tone-deaf Halloween costume' and another describing it as 'grotesque, disgusting, morally bankrupt, incredibly wrong'.

Stewart addressed the controversy the following day, stating her intention was to raise awareness about homelessness. She told Page Six she was 'distressed' that her costume had offended people, which was not her goal.

Later that day, Stewart issued an apology in a statement on her Instagram story, admitting she had 'really screwed up'. She acknowledged that her earlier statement did not go far enough and expressed regret for the insensitive nature of her costume.

Stewart also emphasized her long-standing support for charities addressing homelessness, stating she 'has spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat this ongoing social epidemic'.

CNN has contacted Stewart's representatives for further comment.