When it comes to celebrity Halloween costumes, not every idea is a winner — and some outfits result in major backlash from fans.
Julianne Hough received mixed reviews when she dressed up as Uzo Aduba’s Orange Is the New Black character, Crazy Eyes, in 2013. Hough donned an orange jail jumpsuit and Crazy Eyes’ iconic knotted hairstyle and painted her face brown, which led to some people accusing the dancer of wearing blackface.
“I am a huge fan of the show Orange Is the New Black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created,” Hough wrote via social media in October 2013, apologizing for her costume choice. “It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”
Aduba, for her part, addressed the controversial costume in November 2013, telling E! News that she didn’t hold any grudge toward Hough. “I think maybe it was an unfortunate event, but she apologized, and I feel like we can all move on,” the actress said at the time.
Scroll down to see which other celebrities have received backlash for their Halloween costumes:
Heidi Klum
In 2008, the queen of Halloween upset Hindus when she dressed as Goddess Kali, a sacred Hindu deity.
Adrianne Curry
The VH1 star dressed up as Amy Winehouse and referred to the late singer’s drug and alcohol issues by pretending to shoot up with a faux syringe in 2009.
Heidi and Spencer Pratt
In 2009, the Hills couple dressed as controversial TLC exes Jon and Kate Gosselin. Their costume included eight baby dolls, and, of course, an Ed Hardy shirt.
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi
The Jersey Shore alum went as a missing girl in 2010.
Paris Hilton
The heiress and DJ went as a sexy Indian in Native American garb in 2010 to a Playboy party.
Chris Brown
In October 2012, the troubled artist dressed up for Halloween with some friends as members of the Taliban. After obviously upsetting some, Brown semi-apologized, saying during an interview with Power 106 that it was simply a costume and that “we dress our kids up as satans, demons, little goblins, and all this other s—t.”
Rihanna
The same year her now ex-boyfriend Chris Brown caused a frenzy, Rihanna also turned heads as she dressed up as marijuana for Halloween in 2012 and carried a weed bouquet.
Julianne Hough
In October 2013, Hough opted to dress as Crazy Eyes from Orange Is the New Black for a Halloween party and upset fans when she wore blackface along with her orange jumpsuit. “I am a huge fan of the show Orange Is the New Black, actress Uzo Aduba, and the character she has created,” Hough wrote on Twitter days later, apologizing. “It certainly was never my intention to be disrespectful or demeaning to anyone in any way. I realize my costume hurt and offended people and I truly apologize.”
Khloe Kardashian and Scott Disick
Kardashian was bombarded with hate after she captioned a photo of herself dressed as a cat and Disick as an Arab sheik “sheik p—y” on Instagram in October 2014.
Lily Allen
The British singer dressed as a gynecologist in 2014 to mock producer Dr. Luke and Kesha’s ongoing sexual assault lawsuit.
Ashley Benson
The Pretty Little Liars star got slammed on Instagram after she posted a photo of herself dressed as a lion and referenced poached animal Cecil the Lion in 2015. Benson later apologized, explaining that her management captioned the photo with her permission.
Harry Hamlin
The Veronica Mars alum sparked controversy in 2015 when he attended Casamigos’ Halloween party dressed as the Sex Pistols’ late rocker Sid Vicious and wore a shirt with a swastika on it. His wife, Lisa Rinna — who was dressed as Vicious’ girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, at the bash — later apologized for the shirt.
“If I hurt you ❤️ we were being authentic to the characters of Sid and Nancy for our Halloween costumes,” she wrote via Instagram in November 2015. “It hurt and angered many of you and we are deeply sorry for that. That was never our intention. We did not mean to offend. With love, Lisa and Harry.”
Hilary Duff and Jason Walsh
In October 2016, Duff and her then-boyfriend took their relationship public at the Casamigos Halloween Party, and their outing caused quite the stir — but not for the reason they anticipated. The pair were slammed on social media for cultural appropriation after she dressed up as a sexy pilgrim and he wore a Native American chief costume. The Lizzie McGuire alum later apologized on Twitter, writing, “I am SO sorry to people I offended with my costume. It was not properly thought through and I am truly, from the bottom of my [heart] sorry.”
Luann De Lesseps
The Real Housewives of New York City star dressed up as Diana Ross for Halloween in 2017, but when the episode aired and showed her wearing dark face makeup, she was flooded with negative comments.
“I’m horrified!” the TV personality said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in April 2018, explaining that she was wearing bronzer but was not intentionally doing blackface. “I never meant to hurt anybody’s feelings. I love Diana Ross and I totally respect Diana Ross. It was really kind of a tribute to her, and it was Halloween.”