Martha Stewart has issued a fresh apology after facing criticism for portraying a homeless person in a Halloween costume.
The 85-year-old lifestyle personality acknowledged Sunday that the outfit was “insensitive” and said she was “very sorry.”
“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough,” Stewart wrote in an Instagram post presented as a note from her phone.
She added, “I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny.”
“I am very sorry. Martha,” she concluded.
The apology prompted a divided response online, with some people praising Stewart for taking responsibility and others saying her explanation failed to address the harm caused.
“Your choice reflects an utter disconnect from the desperation and suffering of so many people, especially those who are unhoused and hungry,” one critic wrote.
A supporter, however, defended the Halloween look, commenting, “We always dressed as ‘Hobo’s’ for Halloween in the 1970’s. It was no big deal. Get over it people.”
Stewart initially sparked the backlash after posting, then deleting, an image of herself in a knit cap and ragged clothes while holding a sign asking for food. Dirt was also smeared across her face.
The message on the brown clipboard read, “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!”
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“My QVC candles are perfect for Halloween!!!” the multimillionaire businesswoman wrote in the caption.
In an earlier statement to Page Six, Stewart said the costume was meant to draw attention to homelessness rather than mock people experiencing it.
“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 said.
Stewart also emphasized her concern for the issue, calling homelessness “one of America’s greatest challenges and ongoing crises.” She said she has devoted substantial time and effort to supporting charities that work to address the problem.
The lifestyle mogul has also been candid about her considerable fortune over the years.
During an appearance last month on the “Other People’s Business” podcast, Stewart revealed that royalties from her Kmart partnership once brought in as much as $65 million annually.
“We were selling close to $2 billion worth of merchandise,” she recalled while speaking with MasterClass CEO David Rogier. Stewart said the revenue helped finance the growth of her magazine and the rest of her business empire.
Despite that success, Stewart has said her finances were heavily affected by her legal troubles in the early 2000s, claiming she “lost about a billion dollars.”
She was convicted in connection with an insider trading scandal and served five months in prison, followed by five months of home confinement and two years of supervised probation.
“The lawyers took me to the cleaners,” Stewart said, while insisting that she has rebuilt her life and career. “I’m back. I’m pretty good.”