Martha Stewart Says It’s Craig Melvin’s Fault She Dressed as a ‘Bum’ For Halloween

As we previously reported, Martha Stewart’s Halloween costume created quite a bit of controversy last week, and the homemaking mogul is still doing damage control.

Now, in an unexpected twist, she’s alleging that Today show anchor Craig Melvin deserves at least some of the blame.

The lifestyle mogul found herself facing considerable backlash after dressing up as a homeless woman for Halloween.

And her latest claim about how the questionable costume came together is considerably different from her original defense.

Stewart addressed the controversy Tuesday while speaking at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally in Orlando, Florida.

According to TMZ, she revealed that the whole situation began with an unfortunate wardrobe mishap involving the Today show host.

Melvin had reportedly spilled chocolate on a sweater Stewart planned to wear to a Halloween party. The incident happened during a Friday appearance on the morning show, where the two were participating in a segment.

With her original outfit ruined, Stewart said she had just 10 minutes to pull together an alternative costume.

Her solution? Dressing up as a “bum,” as she described it.

“I looked at myself. I said, ‘You really look hungry and homeless. So I wrote a sign that said ‘I’m hungry,'” Stewart recalled.

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Apparently, the resulting costume was considerably more memorable than she anticipated. Stewart even laughed about the internet’s reaction, telling the audience, “Boy, did that go off [on social media].”

The explanation is raising questions because it differs from what Stewart said when the controversy first erupted.

After the original photograph circulated online, Stewart initially told TMZ that her costume was intended to bring attention to homelessness. She said she was distressed that the outfit had offended people, insisting that offending anyone was never her intention.

Stewart also emphasized that homelessness remains one of America’s greatest challenges and claimed she had spent considerable time and effort supporting charities that address the crisis.

However, her latest explanation suggests the costume was less of a carefully considered awareness campaign and more of a last-minute decision prompted by a stained sweater.

The controversy began after Stewart posted a photograph of herself wearing ripped clothing, a beanie, and makeup designed to make her face look dirty. She also held a sign reading, “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!”

The photograph appeared in an Instagram carousel promoting her QVC candle collection. That particular pairing didn’t exactly help matters, and the post was quickly deleted after attracting criticism.

Stewart subsequently issued another apology, acknowledging that her original response hadn’t gone far enough.

“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up,” she wrote, before conceding that dressing the way she did was “insensitive and not funny.”

She added that she knew many people were struggling economically and concluded, “I’m very sorry.”

Now, with her Craig Melvin explanation entering the conversation, Stewart has offered another piece of the puzzle. Whether audiences find the wardrobe mishap a satisfactory explanation is another matter entirely.

Martha Stewart Says It’s Craig Melvin’s Fault She Dressed as a ‘Bum’ For Halloween was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.

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