Offensive Halloween Costumes 2018: Shaun White 'Special Jack,' Child Dressed As Hitler, More

gettyimages-458029906-594x594
500 Jack-o-lanterns are seen on October 28, 2014, in Shenyang, Liaoning province of China. There were many offensive Halloween costumes that surfaced during the month of October. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

The owner of a hair salon in South Carolina claims she did not know her employee's costume would be considered offensive for dressing up like Michael Jackson in blackface.

Keysha Holmes, the owner of Holmes Hair Salon, told WYFF that her and her employees dress up for Halloween everywhere. They decided to dress up as Michael Jackson in different periods of his life as a tribute to him, WYFF reported.

"It was just for fun," Holmes told the news station. "It's Michael Jackson, it's a costume. They sell that stuff at Halloween stores."

One of her employees dressed in blackface as the King of Pop, but Holmes defended her and said she did not find the costume offensive.

"I [never knew] it was a thing. Ever. She put Covergirl brown makeup on her face," Holmes told the news station.

This is just one of the slew of offensive comments that have popped up during the month of Halloween. Here is a list of offensive costumes that have surfaced this month:

gettyimages-458029906-594x594
500 Jack-o-lanterns are seen on October 28, 2014, in Shenyang, Liaoning province of China. There were many offensive Halloween costumes that surfaced during the month of October. VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Man Dressed as KKK Member Kicked Out of Mississippi Bar:

The owner of Mutt & BC's Bar & Grill in Picayune, Mississippi, kicked out a man who was wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe during the bar's Halloween party, The Clarion-Ledger reported. Carroll told the publication he had told the man, who was wearing a pointy white hood and carrying the Mississippi flag to take off his costume and leave the party.

"We do not tolerate or condone racism at any level of our business, customers or staff," Carroll told The Clarion-Ledger. "Everyone is welcome and we do have all walks of life and all races that patronize our place."

Shaun White Apologizes for 'Special Jack' Costume

Shaun White issued an apology after dressing as a Special Olympian for dressing as "Simple Jack," a character from the 2008 movie Tropic Thunder with disabilities, who was played by Ben Stiller. The photo White tweeted out in his costume has since been deleted, HuffPost reported.

"I owe everyone in the Special Olympics community an apology for my poor choice of Halloween costume the other night," White wrote in a statement on Monday. "It was a last minute decision. It was the wrong one. The Special Olympics are right to call me out on it. They do great work supporting many tremendous athletes and I am so sorry for being insensitive. Lesson learned."

pic.twitter.com/zczNCaedAg

— Shaun White (@shaunwhite) October 29, 2018

Kentucky father receives backlash for dressing son as Adolf Hitler

A father from Kentucky apologized for sparking outrage on social media after a picture of him and his five-year-old son were dressed as a Nazi soldier and Adolf Hitler.

Bryan Goldbach told The Owensboro Times that he realized his costume was of poor judgment and chose to wear the uniforms because he liked dressing up as historical figures. He told the publication he now regrets his decision to wear the costume and apologized.

"I wasn't trying to make a statement or put my son in any position," Goldbach told The Owensboro Times. "It was bad judgment. I want people to know I am sorry."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Maria Perez is a breaking news reporter for Newsweek. She has an M.A in Urban Reporting from the CUNY Graduate School ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go