Days after a deleted Halloween photo of Martha Stewart sparked widespread backlash, the lifestyle mogul appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” to apologize to Craig Melvin, the co-host she had recently blamed for her costume change. On camera, the exchange looked like a tidy resolution to a messy week. Behind the scenes, however, one account suggests the apology was not entirely her own idea, and that something far bigger was at stake.
Martha Stewart apologized to Craig Melvin ‘through gritted teeth,’ per source
The controversy began when Stewart posted, then deleted, a Halloween photo of herself dressed as a “hungry homeless” person in need. Following the backlash, she responded with written apologies.
Now, Rob Shuter notes that Martha Stewart’s apology on the “Today Show” was not voluntary. Writing in his Substack, Naughty But Nice, he cites an insider who says Stewart was told to apologize to Craig Melvin or risk her upcoming Thanksgiving appearance on the show.
The insider adds that she complied “through gritted teeth, but she knew she had no choice.”
Shuter also reports that staff members were angry about her attempt to involve Melvin in the explanation. He notes that Savannah Guthrie’s absence from the apology segment raised eyebrows.
Another insider says Melvin accepted the apology out of graciousness, yet frustration among colleagues has reportedly lingered. “Staff are still angry, and Martha knows she damaged her standing,” added the source.
For context, days after the backlash, Stewart spoke at the CrossCountry Mortgage Sales Rally in Orlando. She said Melvin had spilled chocolate on a sweater she planned to wear on Halloween night, TV Insider reported.
On November 6, Martha Stewart addressed the fallout on Today, and her apology to Craig Melvin began with a clarification. She told him, “I don’t blame you at all,” and called her earlier remark “stupid.” Adding that the spill and the costume were unrelated, she then apologized for the costume itself.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, adding that she had not meant to make fun of anyone. She closed by thanking the show, saying, “[T]hank you for letting me say it on TV, on my favorite show.”
