Craig Melvin there were a few questions for Martha Stewart after finding himself unexpectedly in the middle of her Halloween costume drama.
“Why was I dragged into it?” Melvin, 47, asked Stewart, 85, when she appeared on the Friday, November 6, episode of Today presentation to address the dispute.
Earlier this week, Stewart threw Melvin under the bus for getting chocolate on a sweater she wore to the Today show’s Halloween performance on October 30, which prompted her to change course.
“I was joking,” Stewart said Friday, adding that she didn’t blame Melvin at all. “I was giving a speech and I made a joke that you spilled chocolate on me, so I couldn’t wear that outfit I was planning to wear… and of course, they picked up on that.
Melvin explained that there was “no connection” between that incident and the suit Stewart was wearing. The lifestyle guru raised eyebrows over the Halloween weekend after she shared a photo of herself in tattered and dirty clothes with a sign reading, “I’m hungry. HELP ME.”
The photo was soon deleted, and Stewart issued a statement to Page Six on Sunday, Nov. 1, saying she was “overwhelmed” by the response. As the backlash continued, Stewart shared a second statement via social media and acknowledged that her first message didn’t go “far enough”.
Craig Melvin; Martha Stewart
Getty (2)“It’s hard to admit when you’ve really stepped up. … I know a lot of people are struggling economically,” she said Sunday. “Dressing the way I did was insensitive and not funny. I’m really sorry. Martha.”
While speaking with Melvin on Friday, Stewart shed more light on how the suit came about.
“Well, it was Saturday and it was Halloween and I got invited to a party. I was very busy all day, doing a lot of gardening, putting up a lot of trees on the farm. And I really hadn’t planned a Halloween costume this year,” she explained. “I’m usually a pretty elaborate Halloween costumer. I’ve had the most beautiful costumes over the years.”
Stewart then noted that her grandson was telling her the suit was “tone deaf,” and Melvin said he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
This Halloween, Hollywood’s biggest stars are stepping out in their scary costumes. In the days leading up to Saturday, October 31, many celebrities like Paris Hilton got into the spirit early by showing off their outfits. “My life is a fairy tale, and the magic never ends 💛👑🌹🕯️✨,” Paris, 45, wrote via Instagram in October […]
“He saw the picture first, because I sent it to him,” Stewart continued. “I said, ‘What do you think?’ … It was just stupid. And I’m sorry, because I wasn’t making fun of anyone or making light of the big problems facing our country.”
Stewart said she hopes “great steps” will be taken to ensure poorer citizens are better taken care of and that the controversy has taught her important lessons.
“Pay closer attention to social issues,” she said as one example. “I’m aware of all these social issues, as you can imagine, and I care deeply about the problems we face.”
Stewart apologized again and emphasized her hopes of moving on. “It was stupid, what else can I say?” she added. “I’m so sorry and I hope my followers and fans and the rest of America will forgive me for doing something that was not meant to be a bad thing in any way.
Melvin thanked Stewart for sitting down with him to clear the air before revealing she would be back on track Today show next week to share Thanksgiving tips.