Jessica Alba's bloody Nancy Kerrigan Halloween costume sparks divided reactions online
The actress' recreation of the infamous 1994 figure-skating scandal sparked criticism, while other fans defended her Halloween outfit
Jessica Alba has reportedly deleted her Halloween costume photographs from Instagram after her unusual tribute to former figure skater Nancy Kerrigan sparked divided reactions across social media.
The 45-year-old actress shared the photographs on November 1, showing herself dressed as Kerrigan , while her friend Kelly Sawyer portrayed fellow skater Tonya Harding.
Their outfits referenced the infamous 1994 incident in which Kerrigan was attacked and struck on the knee by an assailant ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Alba wore a white figure-skating outfit, complete with ice skates and a bloodied bandage wrapped around her knee. Sawyer complemented the look with a sparkling maroon costume and a baseball bat, referencing the attack that became one of the most talked-about scandals in sporting history.
The pair wore their costumes to a Halloween celebration hosted by Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun . The party followed a “Hockey Horror” theme, which provided the inspiration for their skating-related appearances.
However, not everyone appreciated the celebrity duo's choice of costumes. Several Instagram users criticized the outfits, arguing that recreating an actual assault turned a traumatic experience into Halloween entertainment.
Some described Alba's decision as immature, while others questioned why she would choose an incident that had such a lasting impact on Kerrigan's personal life and professional skating career.
“Immature. We expect better, Jessica,” wrote one fan.
Social media reactions remain divided over Alba's costume
The 1994 attack involved Shane Stant , who was hired by Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly , to assault Kerrigan . The incident forced Kerrigan to withdraw from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, although she later recovered and competed at the Winter Olympics.
Harding was subsequently banned for life by the U.S. Figure Skating Association following the scandal.
Despite the criticism, plenty of social media users defended Alba and Sawyer , arguing that Halloween is traditionally an opportunity for creative and humorous disguises.
Some Reddit users questioned why the costumes had generated such a strong response, pointing out that the incident happened more than three decades ago and has already inspired several films and television productions. Others suggested that people were becoming overly sensitive about celebrity Halloween choices.
“Eh. It’s been over 30 years, there’s been two feature films and, like, five made for TV movies about it,” one pointed out. “Seems like a pretty tame joke at this point,” wrote a fan.
Although Alba's photographs disappeared from Instagram, they reportedly remained available on her Threads account, where reactions were also mixed.
Some followers praised the costumes, while others maintained that making light of a real person's traumatic experience was inappropriate. Alba's representatives were contacted for comment, but no response had been reported.
The actress has previously shared her family's Halloween celebrations online. In 2024, she dressed as Coraline, sporting a blue wig, while her son Hayes and then-husband Cash Warren wore matching Beetlejuice-inspired outfits.
Hayes also appeared in this year's Halloween photographs wearing a vampire costume. Alba shares three children with Warren : daughters Honor , 18, and Haven , 15, and son Hayes , eight.
Meanwhile, Honor embraced a different pop-culture inspiration, sharing a TikTok video featuring a costume referencing the 2024 tennis drama Challengers. Her look drew inspiration from the film's central characters, played by Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor.
