Jessica Alba Removes Halloween Photos After Her Nancy Kerrigan Costume Draws Criticism
Celebrity Halloween costumes often aim to get people talking, but some spark more debate than their wearers expect. This year, a pair of figure-skating costumes at a star-studded Los Angeles party ended up drawing mixed reactions online.
On October 31, Vas J Morgan and Michael Braun hosted a “Hockey Horror” celebrity Halloween party in Los Angeles. According to Us Weekly, guests included Paris Hilton, Salma Hayek, Machine Gun Kelly, Natasha Lyonne and Paul Wesley.
Jessica Alba attended the party dressed as figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, with her friend Kelly Sawyer dressed as Tonya Harding. Alba wore a white lace skating dress modeled after Kerrigan’s well-known outfit, with a bandage and fake blood on her knee, while Sawyer wore a burgundy skating dress and held a baseball bat.
Alba shared photos of the costumes on Instagram on November 1, with a caption wishing followers a happy Halloween from Tonya and Nancy. Celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi also posted photos from the party, including one of Alba on the ice.
The post quickly drew criticism. Some followers called the costume immature, while others questioned why anyone would revisit a traumatic event that changed people’s careers. Not everyone disagreed with the idea. Other commenters praised the costumes as clever, responding with clapping and laughing emojis.
Halloween 2026 with Jessica Alba ❤️ #jessicaalba https://t.co/GxTurqBdxV
— Jessica Alba (@JessicaAlba_EUR) November 2, 2026
Alba later deleted the photos. Us Weekly reported that it reached out to her representatives for comment, but no response has been shared. The costume references a widely known 1994 incident. That January, Kerrigan was struck in the knee with a police baton by a man involved in a plan organized by Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly.
Harding said she overheard the plan, but she was never criminally convicted of involvement in the attack. She later received a lifetime ban from U.S. Figure Skating. Before the incident, Harding had become the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition, at the 1991 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Her competitive career faded after the attack.
Both skaters are still connected to the sport. Kerrigan, now 57, is still skating and released a children’s book, ‘Stronger Than She Thinks’, in December 2023. Harding, 55, is preparing for a show called ‘Tonya and Friends’, scheduled for December 12 at Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, Washington.
Speaking to Oregon CBS affiliate KOIN 6 just a day before the party, she said she couldn’t walk away from skating despite her ban and wanted audiences to come out and enjoy a real skating show.
And next one photo of Jessica Alba during halloween 2026 ❤️❤️❤️ #jessicaalba https://t.co/ttmsNibGyC
— Jessica Alba (@JessicaAlba_EUR) November 2, 2026
Alba’s situation shows how costumes based on real people can be received very differently from how they were intended. What some saw as a playful nod to a famous sports story, others saw as making light of a painful moment.
It’s not the only celebrity costume to draw criticism this year, and it likely won’t be the last. For now, Alba’s decision to remove the photos suggests she heard the concerns raised by her followers.
What do you think of Jessica Alba's Nancy Kerrigan Halloween costume and her decision to delete the photos?
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