Pop stars recreated, from Spears to Jackson
For Halloween 2026, Paris Hilton was one of several stars dressing up, and she chose to channel Britney Spears' 2001 MTV Video Music Awards rendition of I'm a Slave 4 U. Keke Palmer paid homage to Janet Jackson, teaming up with her three-year-old son to recreate the black-and-white Scream video Jackson released in 1995 with her late brother Michael. Brandy went as Barbie and said on Instagram that having the first Barbie modeled on a Black woman would forever be meaningful to her.[S1][S3][S4]
Usher marked the holiday alongside his wife and kids, with the family wearing Toy Story-inspired outfits; his Instagram caption sent a Halloween greeting on behalf of the Raymonds. Rickey Thompson, a comedian, went back further in time by copying Zendaya's red-carpet outfit from the 2011 premiere of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.[S1]
Family, duo and deep-cut looks
Kim Kardashian's costume this year was her own daughter, North West. Riverdale co-stars Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch appeared together as Betty and Wilma from The Flintstones. Janelle Monáe, a longtime Halloween enthusiast, introduced a new character she called Phish Boy, built around the prosthetics that have become a hallmark of her costumes.[S1][S3][S4]
Elizabeth Gillies, known for elaborate Halloween looks she often shares with fellow Victorious alum Ariana Grande, chose a narrower reference this year: Luke from Halloweentown, the 1998 Disney Channel original movie. Rapper Tyga appeared as a Martian from Tim Burton's 1996 film Mars Attacks!, and also as the vampire Count Orlok as played by Bill Skarsgard in Robert Eggers' 2024 horror film Nosferatu.[S1]
Morning television's century of characters
The Today show folded NBC's 100th anniversary into its Halloween episode. Savannah Guthrie, dressed as an NBC page, led a group of tourists through 30 Rockefeller Plaza past colleagues in character: Willie Geist as Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent, Dylan Dreyer as the title character of I Dream of Jeannie, and Al Roker as Eddie Murphy's Saturday Night Live creation Gumby.[S1]
At the Must-See TV stop, Guthrie changed into Friends' Rachel Green beside Jenna Bush Hager as Phoebe Buffay. Carson Daly dressed as Ella Langley for his PopStart segment, Laura Jarrett appeared as Simone Biles and Craig Melvin as Snoop Dogg, with the real Martha Stewart joining Melvin. Sheinelle Jones danced with the Radio City Rockettes, and Jack McBrayer returned as 30 Rock page Kenneth Parcell.[S1]
Live's Shockin' Eve and more than 60 costumes
Live! With Kelly and Mark welcomed former co-host Ryan Seacrest back for a New Year's Eve-themed Halloween Shockin' Eve. The hosts honored Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with Mark Consuelos as the webslinger swinging through New York streets while Kelly Ripa's Yelena Belova held on. They later took the stage as Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga from the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.[S1]
After a commercial break the pair returned as Anne Hathaway's Penelope and Matt Damon's Odysseus from The Odyssey, and closed the episode alongside producer Michael Gelman and DJ Deja Vu with the whole Live team dressed as characters from Toy Story 5. The episode featured more than 60 costumes, among them pretaped segments with Ripa as Inde Navarrette's Nikki from Obsession and a Traitors parody. Guest Lisa Rinna dressed as Kylie Jenner beside Gelman as Timothee Chalamet, both in the orange looks the pair wore at the Los Angeles premiere of Marty Supreme late last year.[S1]
