NEW YORK — Martha Stewart claims she isn’t to blame for her controversial Halloween costume depicting herself as a homeless person — “Today” show co-host Craig Melvin is.

The lifestyle guru made the claim against Melvin during the CrossCountry Mortgage sales rally in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, per video obtained by TMZ. She said an incident occurred during her Friday appearance on “Today” that forced her to change her outfit.

Melvin “spilled chocolate all over my white sweater, which I was going to wear on Halloween night,” Stewart revealed. “And so I picked up the sweater, I said, ‘Oh god, it’s so dirty. I only have 10 minutes to get dressed for this Halloween party.”

Stewart sported a white American flag sweater and Olympic cap while she made a spiderweb cake and other tasty treats on the show. Melvin, who was dressed as Snoop Dogg for the segment, at one point went to hand her a tube of chocolate ganache, and splashed her with it by mistake.

“Real Snoop would never do that,” she joked afterward.

With her shirt ruined and just minutes to get ready for her Halloween party, 85-year-old Stewart had to quickly improvise. She ultimately concluded the “easiest costume was to get dressed up as, you know, a bum.”

She continued: “I looked at myself. I said, ‘You look really hungry and homeless.’ So, I wrote a sign that said, ‘I’m hungry,’ and, boy, did that go off.”

Stewart shared a photo of her getup to Instagram on Halloween. It shows her scowling into the camera with dirt rubbed all over her face while she sports ripped clothing. She also held up a sign that read, “I AM HUNGRY. HELP ME.” It immediately sparked backlash online, with social media users accusing Stewart of lacking awareness and mocking homelessness.

Stewart has since deleted the post and issued an apology.

“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 told TMZ.

She followed up with a second apology on Instagram the next day.

“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really screwed up. My earlier statement didn’t go far enough,” she wrote. “I know many people are suffering economically. Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am very sorry.”

———

©2026 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.