Viola Davis Criticizes Target Over Offensive Halloween Costume

Actress Viola Davis has criticized Target after the retailer removed a children’s Halloween costume that she said promoted racist stereotypes.

The costume, called the “Kids’ Glows under Blacklight Circus Clown,” featured a young Black boy in a black-and-orange outfit with a hood showing an exaggerated smile. Target had listed the costume online before removing it.

Davis shared a photo comparing the costume with 19th-century minstrel imagery, which used blackface and racist stereotypes of Black Americans. “I do not accept your apology,” Davis wrote on Instagram, saying the images caused pain and contributed to the dehumanization of Black people.

Target apologized Monday and said the costume was offensive and should never have been sold. The company said it was no longer available and that it would investigate how the product was approved.

Davis has long spoken publicly about racial representation and diversity. She has also supported efforts to push Hollywood to address systemic discrimination against Black actors.