From Nancy Kerrigan to Jackie Kennedy: Jessica Alba, Martha Stewart and more celebrity Halloween costumes that sparked backlash

Halloween has come and gone — but some celebrities are still facing backlash for their costumes. This year, A-listers got creative with their looks and received plenty of praise (see: Heidi Klum dressing up as her own severed hand and Harry Styles poking fun at his X Factor -era style ). Unfortunately, not every celebrity's getup was well received.

Case in point? A handful of stars, including Martha Stewart and Jessica Alba, initially shared their 2026 Halloween costumes on Instagram — but deleted the posts after drawing criticism from commenters.

Jessica Alba dressed up as Nancy Kerrigan — the former American figure skater who was assaulted weeks before the 1994 Winter Olympics — and the backlash was almost immediate. In a since-deleted carousel of photos shared on Nov. 1, Alba wore a white lace figure skating dress with a bloody bandage wrapped around her knee. Alba's friend dressed up as Tonya Harding, Kerrigan's former skating rival, and posed with a baseball bat.

"Happy Halloween from Tonya … and Nancy," Alba captioned the post.

The duo's costume directly references the 1994 attack on Kerrigan, who was struck on the knee with a police baton following a practice skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Detroit. The attacker, Shane Stant, was hired by Jeff Gillooly, Harding's ex-husband, and Shawn Eckhardt, Gillooly's childhood friend. Harding, who denied she planned the attack, pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution. She received probation and a life ban from the U.S. Figure Skating Association.

"Immature," one commenter wrote, according to Page Six . "We expect better, Jessica."

"Explain what's funny about a woman being beaten up. I'll wait," another added.

Martha Stewart shared a since-deleted photo of herself on Oct. 31 dressed as an unhoused person. She wore tattered clothing and makeup resembling dirt on her face while holding a clipboard that read, "I am hungry. Help me!!"

Stewart — whose net worth is worth hundreds of millions of dollars — addressed the backlash over her costume. In a statement shared with People on Nov. 1, the beloved television personality said her outfit was "intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness." Stewart said she is "distressed" that the costume "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. I am committed to continuing to make a difference," she wrote.

Stewart shared another statement on Instagram, writing, "It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up. My earlier statement didn't go far enough."

McCall DaPron, star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, which premieres on Nov. 12, channeled Jackie Kennedy for her Halloween 2026 costume. On Oct. 30, DaPron shared a photo of herself with her husband, Kirk DaPron, and their four children dressed up as the Kennedy family on the day of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

"Happy Halloween 🩷The Kennedy's," DaPron, who wore Kennedy's recognizable pink suit, wrote alongside the since-deleted snap. The reality star turned off comments on the Instagram post before eventually deleting it.

Commenters called DaPron out for being "appalling and distasteful," according to People .

"[You're] dressing up as a woman on the scariest day of her life…," another wrote, per the outlet.

Julia Fox faced similar backlash for her 2025 Halloween costume, when she dressed up as the former first lady moments after President Kennedy's assassination. The Uncut Gems actor wore a bloodied pink suit, which she defended as being a statement rather than a costume.

"[Jackie Kennedy's] decision not to change clothes, even after being encouraged to, was an act of extraordinary bravery," Fox wrote. "It was performance, protest, and mourning all at once. A woman weaponizing image and grace to expose brutality."