Celebrity Halloween costumes that sparked so much controversy that those responsible had to apologize (Source: Jovani Pérez)
Halloween It’s a practically holy holiday among celebrities Hollywood. Every year, numerous actors and actresses make every effort and present costumes as staged as their wallet and desire for fun allow.
Whether they pay tribute to films or series, model with their new partners (and even children) or decide to flaunt their bodies in the most sensual clothes, Halloween creates a huge anticipation among showbiz devotees to see how their favorite stars dress for a night out.
It wasn’t all laughter and glamour, however. Many celebrities have been embroiled in controversy over their characterizations, viewing them as offensive, hurtful, or just plain distasteful. On many occasions, this criticism has escalated to the point where celebrities have had to publicly apologize, but the photos of their embarrassing costumes will never leave the Internet.
Below is a rundown of the most controversial costumes paraded in Hollywood.
Famous snowboarder Shaun White (right) was heavily criticized for dressing up as the character “Simple Jack” from the film “Tropic Thunder”. This is because the character has a mental disability.
In 2018, well-known American snowboarder Shaun White caused controversy when he decided to dress up as the character “Simple Jack” from the movie “Tropic Thunder” for Halloween. “Simple Jack“is a mentally disabled character and the costume has been criticized as being insensitive to people with intellectual disabilities. Many, including the Down Syndrome Organization, expressed their disapproval and dissatisfaction with White’s costume.
“I sincerely apologize for my choice of Halloween costume and realize that it was insensitive and wrong,” the Snowborder said of his “Simple Jack” costume.
The Snowborder quickly apologized after controversy arose over his costume. He posted a message on his social media admitting that he made the wrong decision and didn’t realize how his costume could be offensive to some people. White wrote: “I sincerely apologize for my Halloween costume choice and realize it was insensitive and wrong.”. He added that he is an advocate for equality and that he understands that he needs to be more careful in his decisions in the future.
Julianne Hough sparked endless criticism for doing “Black Face” to play “Crazy Eyes” from “Orange is the New Black” (Source: X/@DLHughleyRadio)
In 2013, Dancing with the Stars star Julianne Hough sparked a major controversy with her Halloween costume. Hough dressed as “Crazy Eyes,” a character from the popular Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” played by African-American actress Uzo Aduba. To complete her costume, Hough darkened her skin, which sparked intense backlash as it was viewed as a form of “blackface” – a racist practice that has a long and offensive history.
After the “blackface” Julianne did to play “Crazy Eyes” from “Orange is the New Black,” the actress apologized and reiterated her admiration for the character
Julianne Hough He apologized publicly via his Twitter account. She expressed regret for hurting people with her costume and asserted that it was not her intention to be derogatory or disrespectful to any racial or ethnic group. Hough wrote: “I sincerely apologize if I have offended anyone with my costume. It is true that it was an unfortunate and insensitive decision and I apologize for my lack of judgment.. He also emphasized his admiration for the character of “Crazy Eyes” and for actress Uzo Aduba.
Ashley Benson wanted to dress up as Cecil the lioness in 2013, which was not very well seen on the networks (Source: Instagram/Ashley Benson)
The same year, Ashley Benson, Known for her role in the series Pretty Little Liars, she caused a lot of hate on the networks with one of her possible Halloween costumes. Via Instagram, Benson posted a picture of herself wearing a lion hood, suggesting that she wanted to dress up as Cecil, the famous African lion who was poached by an American dentist in 2015. Benson originally captioned the photo, “ “Help Ashley become Cecil the Lion”which sparked criticism because it was seen as insensitive to Cecil’s death, an issue that had sparked global outrage.
The murder of the lioness Cecil by an American dentist sparked endless criticism, and Ashley’s disguise only made matters worse.
Benson edited the photo’s description on Instagram to remove any references to Cecil the lion. He later apologized on social media, saying he had no intention of offending anyone and expressed his love for animals. He explained that he understood his post was insensitive and thanked his followers for making him realize his mistake. After apologizing, she insisted that she has always been an animal rights activist and will continue to do so.
Harry Hamlin decided to dress up as Sid Vicious by wearing his “famous” swastika printed T-shirt (Source: Instagram/kylerichards18)
The famous Mad Men actor and his wife, Lisa RinnaDressed as rock star Sid Vicious and his girlfriend in 2015 Nancy Spungen. The detail that sparked outrage, however, was that Hamlin wore a shirt with a swastika, the infamous symbol of Nazism. This choice has been sharply criticized for being highly offensive and insensitive given the historical burden of hate and violence it carries.
Sid Vicious has been seen several times wearing t-shirts with swastikas to demonstrate his anti-establishment ideals.
As expected, the couple had to publicly apologize. Through her Instagram account, Rinna wrote the following: “If we have hurt or offended anyone with our Sex Pistols Halloween t-shirts, we are very sorry. “It was never our intention to offend anyone, we simply wanted to pay tribute to a band we love and to our friend Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.”
Heidi Klum dressed as the goddess Kali, which caused outrage among the Indian authorities (Source: Modelinia)
Model Heidi Klum is known for her extravagant Halloween costumes and 2008 was no exception. Klum arrived at her annual Halloween party dressed as the goddess Kali, an important figure in Hinduism. Wearing the goddess’s signature blue costume, Klum also adorned herself with a garland of severed heads and a belt of arms following traditional depictions of Kali. However, the costume came under heavy criticism as some members of the Hindu community viewed it as disrespectful and cultural appropriation.
The drama reached such a point that Universal Society of Hinduism president Rajan Zed criticized Klum, saying it was inappropriate to portray Hindu deities in a frivolous or dramatized manner. Zed called on Klum to publicly apologize and understand that Hindu gods and goddesses are not just fictional characters.
Given these statements, Heidi explained that her decision to be Kali on Halloween came from her admiration for the figure of the goddess and respect for a culture or religion. He noted that if she did, she would apologize sincerely.
Emily Hampshire and a friend of hers reenacted the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (Source: Instagram/Emily Hampshire)
In 2023, Emily faced harsh criticism after uploading a photo to her social media in which she and a friend were dressed as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Emily played Johnny, recreating his slicked-back hair, tattoos and moustache, while her friend played the distraught Amber Heard.
The outrage was not long in coming, as many users saw this costume not only as a mockery of the high-profile trial between the ex-couple, but also as an insult to the victims of domestic violence. Under pressure, Emily deleted the photo and issued the following apology:
“I want to address something that is one of the most reckless, insensitive and ignorant things I have ever done. For Halloween, I stupidly thought it would be fun to dress up as Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. I am deeply sorry and ashamed for bringing something so terrible into the universe. Domestic abuse is never fun. These are real problems with real people and I REALLY regret my actions.. I will do better in the future. Very sorry”.