Martha Stewart and Craig Melvin are clearing the air on her controversial Halloween costume.
The lifestyle mogul, who sparked backlash with an outfit that appeared to mock homelessness, sat down with the "Today" show anchor on Friday, Nov. 6, after Stewart seemingly blamed Melvin for the origins of her holiday look.
In a now-deleted post from Oct. 31, Stewart posed in torn jeans, a cream cardigan and a black knit cap while holding up a handwritten cardboard sign in the picture reading, "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!" Online users reposted the image across social media, with commenters calling the costume "tone deaf," "insensitive" and "out of touch."
Stewart later apologized for her costume on social media, calling it "insensitive." But the "Yes, Chef!"
host also attributed the faux pas to an interaction she had with Melvin on the "Today" show the day before Halloween.
During a Nov. 3 appearance at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally, the 85-year-old recounted that Melvin accidentally spilled chocolate ganache while helping Stewart decorate a cheesecake, which she said left her without a proper look.
"I was making a joke," Stewart told Melvin on Friday. "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 … and of course, they picked up on that."
Melvin added that there was "no connection" between the pair's interaction on the "Today" show and Stewart's final costume, and Stewart clarified that she was pressed for time on Halloween.
"I was invited to a party. I was very busy all day, doing a lot of gardening, planting a lot of trees up at the farm," Stewart said. "And I really hadn't planned a Halloween costume this year. Usually, I'm a very elaborate Halloween costumer. I've had the most beautiful costumes over the years."
However, Stewart said the swift backlash to her look, including critical remarks from her own grandson, taught her to "pay closer attention to social issues."
"It was just stupid," Stewart said. "And I apologize because I was not making fun of anybody or making light of the great problems that face our country."
The homemaking expert first broke her silence on the controversy in a Nov. 1 statement to People magazine. She told the outlet that she only meant to "bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness" and that she felt "distressed" that her costume had "offended" people.
"Homelessness continues to remain one of America's greatest challenges and ongoing crises, something that I care deeply about, and I have spent a significant amount of time and effort supporting charities that combat this ongoing social epidemic," Stewart wrote. "I am committed to continuing to make a difference."
Stewart echoed that commitment in her closing remarks to Melvin.
"I'm so sorry," Stewart said. "And I hope that my followers and my fans and the rest of America forgives me for doing something that was not meant in any way to be a bad thing."
Contributing: Rachel Hale, Sameen Chaudhry and Paris Close, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Martha Stewart faces Craig Melvin after blaming him for 'tone-deaf' costume
