‘Fantastic Four’ star Jessica Alba deletes Halloween photos after Nancy Kerrigan costume sparks backlash; internet raises harsh questions

A Halloween costume meant to reference a famous figure-skating rivalry has landed Jessica Alba in the middle of an online controversy. The actress, 45, reportedly removed photos of herself dressed as Nancy Kerrigan, complete with a bloodied knee bandage, after social media users criticised the look for making light of a real-life attack that shocked the sports world in 1994. Alba posed alongside her friend Kelly Sawyer, who dressed as Kerrigan’s rival Tonya Harding and held a baseball bat. The images were shared on Instagram before being deleted.

Why did Jessica Alba delete the Halloween pictures?

Alba’s costume showed her in a white figure-skating dress, with a fake bloodied bandage wrapped around her knee. Sawyer wore a skating outfit associated with Harding and posed with a bat, recreating the visual elements of the infamous attack. The pair wore the costumes to a “Hockey Horror” Halloween party in Los Angeles on October 31. Alba captioned the photos, “Happy Halloween from Tonya … and Nancy.” The post was later removed from her Instagram account. The backlash grew as users questioned whether the costume was appropriate. One commenter wrote, “Immature. We expect better, Jessica,” while another asked why anyone would want to revisit “this traumatic moment that ended people’s careers.”

However, reactions were not entirely negative. Some social media users praised the costumes and called them creative, while others felt the look crossed a line by turning a real act of violence into a Halloween joke. Jessica Alba’s representatives had not publicly responded to the controversy in the reports available.

What happened to Nancy Kerrigan in 1994?

The costumes referred to the January 1994 attack on American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. She was struck on the knee with a baton after a practice session ahead of the US Figure Skating Championships. The attack was linked to a plan involving Jeff Gillooly, Harding’s then-husband, and others.

Kerrigan was injured and forced to withdraw from the national championships, but she recovered and went on to compete at the 1994 Winter Olympics, where she won a silver medal. Harding was not criminally convicted of planning the assault. She later pleaded guilty to conspiring to hinder the prosecution and was banned for life by the US Figure Skating Association.

Tonya Harding is returning to the ice

The controversy comes as Harding, now 55, prepares to return to figure skating for a public show. She is scheduled to take part in “Tonya and Friends” in Vancouver, Washington, on December 12. In an interview with local outlet KOIN 6, Harding said she could not walk away from the sport. “I just want people to come out and have fun and be able to enjoy a real skating show,” she said, according to People.

Jessica Alba has not publicly explained why she removed the photos. The incident has once again brought attention to the lasting impact of the Kerrigan attack and the question of whether a moment of real trauma should be used as a Halloween costume.