Highlights
- Jessica Alba, 45, has deleted an Instagram post showing her dressed as Nancy Kerrigan with a faux-bloodied bandage on her knee, beside a friend dressed as Tonya Harding
- The costumes were worn to a "Hockey Horror" Halloween party in Los Angeles on Saturday 31 October, and the post went up the next day
- Commenters split between those who called it harmless creativity and those who asked why anyone would revisit a "traumatic moment"
- It came days after Harding, 55, announced a public skating show on 12 December
Jessica Alba has taken down her Halloween photos after dressing as a wounded Nancy Kerrigan, in a costume that referred to one of the best-known attacks in sporting history.
Why did Jessica Alba delete her Halloween post?
Because of the reaction. The actor shared an Instagram carousel on Sunday 1 November captioned "Happy Halloween from Tonya... and Nancy". It showed her as Kerrigan, in a white skating-style outfit with a faux-bloodied bandage around her knee. A friend stood beside her as Harding, holding a baseball bat. By Monday, the post had been removed.
"We expect better, Jessica," one commenter wrote. "Why would you want to revisit this traumatic moment that ended people's careers?" asked another. Others said they could see no harm and praised the group's creativity. Alba has not publicly commented on the deletion in any of the reports reviewed.
Jessica alba deleted Instagram postInstagram/@jessicaalba
What was the costume, and where was it worn?
Alba and her friend wore the costumes to a "Hockey Horror" Halloween party in Los Angeles on Saturday 31 October, hosted by Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun. The costume referred to a real woman's injury. The bat is a detail worth noting: in 1994 the weapon was a telescopic baton, not a baseball bat.
Have Nancy Kerrigan or Tonya Harding responded?
Not in anything published so far. Neither skater has commented on the costumes, according to the reports reviewed. Kerrigan, now 57, has dealt with jokes about the attack before. In 2017, when fellow Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi wished her "break a leg" ahead of her stint on a ballroom dancing show, some online called the phrase tactless, but Kerrigan replied: "Thank you so much Kristi!"
What happened to Nancy Kerrigan in 1994?
On 6 January 1994, Kerrigan was struck on the right leg with a telescopic baton as she walked down a corridor at Cobo Arena in Detroit, after practising for the US Championships. Her cry on camera, "Why? Why? Why?", was broadcast around the world. She was forced to miss the national championships, but recovered in time to compete at that February's Winter Olympics.
The attack was planned by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and his friend Shawn Eckardt, who hired Shane Stant to carry it out. Harding denied knowing about it beforehand, but on 16 March 1994 she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution, and received three years' probation, a $100,000 fine and 500 hours of community service. In June, US Figure Skating stripped her of her 1994 national title and banned her for life. She has always denied any involvement in planning the attack.
Why is Tonya Harding back in the news?
She is preparing for a comeback of sorts. Harding, the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition, is headlining a public show called "Tonya and Friends" on 12 December at the Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Washington. She turns 56 on 12 November, and has said she has been skating twice a week since spring. "The love of skating is the reason why I've always come back," she said. Tickets have reportedly sold out. She remains banned from competitive skating.
Is this the first Halloween costume row of the weekend?
No. Martha Stewart, 85, deleted an Instagram photo from 31 October showing her in ripped jeans, with dirt on her face, holding a sign reading "I AM HUNGRY HELP ME!!". She first said she had meant to raise awareness of homelessness, then wrote: "It's hard to admit when you've really screwed up." The costume, she said, was "insensitive and not funny". One commenter on Alba's post wrote: "Wow, first Martha and now Jessica."
What happens next?
Alba has not said whether she will comment on the deletion. Harding, meanwhile, turns 56 on 12 November and takes to the ice in Vancouver, Washington a month later, on 12 December.
