Martha Stewart points the finger at “Today” show co-host Craig Melvin amid outcry over his homeless Halloween costume.
The lifestyle guru indirectly blamed Melvin while on stage at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday, saying he “spilled chocolate all over the sweater” she planned to wear during her “Today” show segment.
Stewart, notably, appeared on the show Friday in a white American flag sweater and Olympic cap to bake a spider web cake and other treats.
The 82-year-old, according to footage obtained by TMZ, thought her top was “too dirty” after the segment to wear it to the Halloween party she was attending.
With “only 10 minutes” to get ready for the holiday party, she decided the “easiest costume” option was “a bum.”
Stewart recalls, “I looked at myself. I said, ‘You look really hungry and homeless. So I wrote a sign that said, ‘I’m hungry.’
Laughing, she joked: “Boy, did that happen (on social media).”
Representatives for Stewart and Melvin did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Stewart was ripped via Instagram over the weekend for wearing a flannel shirt, cardigan, ripped jeans and beanie in a since-deleted photo of her costume, complete with dirt on her face and a sign reading: “I’m hungry. Help me!!”
In her initial statement about the scandal to Page Six, Stewart insisted she intended to “raise awareness” of the homeless crisis.
“Homelessness continues to remain one of America’s greatest current challenges and crises, something that I care deeply about and have dedicated a lot of time and effort to supporting charities that are combatting this current social epidemic,” she told us.
The statement was widely criticized, with “Pose” star Indya Moore calling it a “manipulative counterattack” and Jimmy Kimmel giving Stewart “a general rule of thumb” in his Monday monologue.
He advised: “Don’t use your Halloween costume to raise awareness for anything other than Halloween, especially when you complete the look with a boyfriend sweater from The Row.”
Stewart followed that up with an apology on Instagram on Sunday.
“It’s hard to admit that we really screwed up. My previous statement doesn’t go far enough,” she wrote. “I know a lot of people are hurting economically. Wearing a suit like I did was insensitive and not fun.”
Stewart has continued to draw backlash with her social media activity since then — even posting a photo of baking gifts she received from a Brooklyn bakery.
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