Martha Stewart has apologised after sharing an image of herself dressed as a homeless person for Halloween, which provoked a backlash online.

The 85-year-old media personality, who is worth an estimated US$400m, shared a picture of herself on Instagram on 31 October, in which she had a dirty face and wore ripped jeans and a beanie while holding up a sign that read: “I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!” The post promoted Stewart’s candle range in the caption and two photos in the carousel.

Multiple commenters immediately criticised her decision. “Why do you think poor people who are dying on the side of the road are a costume?” one asked, while another wrote: “Read the room Martha, people are struggling out here.”

On Sunday, Stewart issued a statement to media outlets including Page Six and People magazine explaining the costume , but fell short of apologising.

Her costume was “intended to bring more awareness to the very serious subject of homelessness”, she claimed, adding that she was “distressed” that the costume…