Martha Stewart Blames Today’s Craig Melvin for Her Controversial Homeless Costume

Martha Stewart didn’t mean to cause a stir.

Days after the lifestyle guru received backlash for posting a photo of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween, she explained her thought process behind the costume, claiming it was the result of Today host Craig Melvin accidentally getting chocolate on her during the show’s Oct. 30 episode. 

“He spilled chocolate all over my white sweater, which I was gonna wear on Halloween night,” Stewart said at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally in Orlando Nov. 3, per footage obtained by TMZ. “When 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.’”

“So the easiest costume was to get dressed up as a bum,” the 85-year-old continued. “I looked at myself and I said, ‘You really look hungry and homeless,’ so I wrote a sign that said, ‘I’m hungry.’ And boy, did that go off.”