Martha Stewart Says Craig Melvin’s Chocolate Spill Led to Halloween Costume She Apologized For

Two days after apologizing for dressing as a person experiencing homelessness on Halloween, Martha Stewart offered a new account of how she chose the costume. Speaking at a sales rally in Orlando on November 3, the lifestyle mogul said Today co-host Craig Melvin spilled chocolate on the sweater she had planned to wear, leaving her to come up with another outfit minutes before a party.

The spill happened during the October 30 Halloween broadcast of NBC's Today. Melvin was dressed as Snoop Dogg and was helping Stewart decorate a cheesecake when chocolate ganache got on her sweater. "Real Snoop would never do that," Stewart joked on air.

Stewart told the Orlando audience that she had about 10 minutes to get ready for the party. She said she looked at herself, decided she looked hungry and homeless, and made a sign to go with the outfit. The photo she posted on Halloween showed her in ripped jeans and a knit cap, with makeup made to look like dirt on her face. The sign read, "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!"

The costume photo appeared in the same Instagram post as images promoting Stewart's QVC candles. Critics accused her of making light of homelessness and hunger, and the post was later deleted. In a November 1 statement to People, Stewart said she had intended to draw attention to homelessness and cited her support for charities that address it.

Hours later, Stewart returned to Instagram with a more direct apology. She acknowledged that her first statement had fallen short and that many people were struggling financially. "Wearing a costume like I did was insensitive and not funny. I am very sorry," she wrote.

Her remarks in Orlando added the account of the chocolate spill to the story. According to Stewart's own telling, Melvin spilled the chocolate during the cooking segment, and she chose the costume and wrote the sign afterward.