Craig Melvin Presses Martha Stewart During Live “Today” Interview About Being ‘Dragged Into’ Her Halloween Costume Controversy

Dave QuinnFri, November 6, 2026 at 2:25 PM UTC

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Craig Melvin and Martha Stewart during an interview on the ‘Today’ show on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026Credit: TODAY/Youtube -

Martha Stewart appeared on Today on Nov. 6 to address the backlash over her controversial Halloween costume

Martha Stewart explained why she’d previously brought Craig Melvin into the controversy, insisting she was only joking about his chocolate spill

Martha Stewart called her costume choice “stupid” and revealed that her grandson had warned her it was “tone deaf”

Martha Stewart is apologizing once again for her controversial Halloween costume — and making it clear that Craig Melvin had nothing to do with her decision to wear it.

The lifestyle mogul, 85, appeared on the Friday, Nov. 6 episode of Today, where she addressed the backlash over her decision to dress as a person experiencing homelessness for Halloween and explained why she’d previously brought Melvin into the controversy.

Sitting down with the NBC morning show anchor for the live interview, Stewart called her costume choice “stupid,” revealed that even her grandson had warned her it was “tone deaf”

“I made a mistake. I was stupid. What else can I say?” Stewart said. “I’m so sorry and I hope that my followers and fans and the rest of America forgives me for doing something that was not meant in any way to be a bad thing.”

Craig Melvin and Martha StewartCredit: TODAY/Youtube

The controversy began over Halloween weekend when Stewart shared a since-deleted photo of herself wearing tattered clothing and dirt-like makeup while holding a cardboard sign that read, “I AM HUNGRY. HELP ME!!” The costume quickly drew criticism from social media users who accused her of making light of homelessness.

Stewart subsequently apologized, acknowledging that the outfit had been insensitive and insisting she never intended to offend anyone. But the story took another turn earlier this week when Stewart appeared at a mortgage industry event in Orlando, where she suggested that an unfortunate encounter with Melvin had contributed to her last-minute costume decision.

That’s because, during an Oct. 30 appearance on Today, Melvin had accidentally spilled chocolate ganache on Stewart’s white sweater. And according to Stewart, the mishap left her without the outfit she’d planned to wear to a Halloween party. So with “only 10 minutes” to get ready for the gathering, she figured that the “easiest costume” was “a bum.”

“I looked at myself. I said, ‘You really look hungry and homeless. So I wrote a sign that said ‘I’m hungry,’” she recalled. “Boy, did that go off [on social media].”

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On Friday, however, Stewart insisted that she’d never seriously blamed Melvin for what happened.

“I didn’t have a costume because you had spilled some chocolate on my white sweater — and I don’t blame you at all,” she told him. “It was a joke that I said I blamed you. It was stupid.”

Melvin, clearly eager to address his unexpected involvement in the headlines, asked Stewart directly, “And why was I dragged into it?”

“I was making a joke,” Stewart replied. “I was giving a talk and I just made a joke that you had spilled chocolate on me so I couldn’t wear that costume, which I had planned to wear on Halloween night to this party.”

“And that became part of the story,” Melvin noted.

“And of course they picked up on that, because you’re you,” Stewart responded.

Martha Stewart and Craig Melvin celebrate Hallween together on the ‘Today’ show on Oct. 30, 2026Credit: TODAY

Melvin, 47, pointed out that he had apologized for the original spill, prompting Stewart to ask, “For what?”

“For spilling the chocolate,” he reminded her.

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“Oh yeah,” Stewart replied.

“And we moved on,” Melvin said.

“And I moved on now,” Stewart added.

When Melvin sought to clarify that he wasn’t responsible for the controversial costume she ultimately wore, Stewart agreed.

“Oh no. Oh no no no,” she said. “And it wasn’t your fault about the chocolate. It goes on and on and on.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Stewart explained that she had spent much of Halloween gardening and planting trees at her farm and hadn’t prepared a costume, despite typically going all out for the holiday.

She also revealed that a family member had immediately recognized the problem with her last-minute choice. “According to my grandson, I was tone deaf,” Stewart said.

“Well, not just your grandson,” Melvin interjected.

“Oh no no,” she acknowledged, before explaining that she’d sent her grandson a photo of the costume and asked for his opinion. “‘What do you think?’ ‘Tone deaf,’ he said,” Stewart recalled. “And it was just stupid.”

The television personality emphasized that she hadn’t intended to mock people experiencing homelessness or minimize the challenges facing vulnerable Americans.

“I apologized because I was not making fun of anybody or making light of the great problems that face our country,” she said, expressing hope that the government would do more to help people experiencing poverty and hunger.

Asked what she’d learned from the controversy, Stewart said she needed to “pay closer attention to social issues.”

“Be aware — I’m aware of all those social issues, as you can imagine,” she continued. “And I care desperately about all the problems facing us.”

As the conversation came to a close, Melvin summed up Stewart’s message: “So Martha Stewart wants to move on, and she apologizes.”

“Absolutely. Thank you,” Stewart replied. “And thank you for letting me say it on TV for my favorite show.”

Despite the controversy, Stewart’s relationship with Today appears to be continuing as usual. Melvin noted that she will be returning to the show next week for the program’s annual Thanksgiving cooking segment, with Stewart teasing tips to help viewers prepare their holiday meals in advance.

Today airs daily on NBC beginning at 7 a.m. ET.

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