Jessica Alba deleted an Instagram carousel after criticism of her Halloween costume referencing former figure skaters Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. Alba, 45, captioned the post, “Happy Halloween from Tonya … and Nancy,” in a Sunday, November 1, upload that has since been removed.
The images showed Alba dressed as Kerrigan, 57, with a faux bloodied bandage around her knee. A friend dressed as Harding, 55, stood beside her while holding a baseball bat. The costumes referred to the 1994 attack in which Kerrigan was struck on the knee with a police baton by a man linked to a plan involving Harding’s former husband.
Harding later acknowledged overhearing her former husband’s plan but was never criminally convicted of involvement. She was subsequently given a lifetime ban by the U.S. Figure Skating Association.
Some users criticized Alba’s costume in the comments. One called it “immature” and said they expected better from Alba, while another questioned why she would revisit what they described as a traumatic event. Us reported that it contacted Alba’s representatives for comment.
Other users defended the costume, praising Alba and her friends’ creativity and describing the outfits as brilliant.
Alba wore the costume at Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun’s “Hockey Horror” Halloween party in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 31. Photos shared by Deuxmoi showed her posing on the ice among other celebrity attendees, including Paul Wesley, Natalie Kuckenburg, Brooks Nader, Paris Hilton, Machine Gun Kelly, Salma Hayek and Natasha Lyonne.
The costume came as Harding prepares to return to figure skating. In an interview with KOIN 6 published one day before the party, she said she could not “walk away” from the sport despite her ban. Harding is scheduled to participate in “Tonya and Friends” on Saturday, December 12, at Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Washington, where she will skate for the public.
According to People’s report on the interview, Harding told KOIN 6 that she wanted people to attend, have fun and enjoy a real skating show.
Sources: Us Weekly.