Kate Hudson has stirred up some controversy with her Halloween costume this year.
The actress shared a photo on Instagram of her group costume, the red-clad cult followers known as Rajneeshees who were featured in the Netflix docuseries “Wild Wild Country.”
Not everyone was pleased with Hudson’s photo, which was accompanied by a quote from the cult’s leader and spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh: “Don’t be worried about the future. Live this moment so totally that the next moment comes out of it golden.”
The Rajneeshees occupied a sprawling commune in Wasco County, Oregon, naming their community Rajneeshpuram. The group’s leaders carried out a series of crimes, sometimes harming local townspeople, including by poisonings, as well as committing immigration fraud and wiretapping. Though Rajneeshpuram discontinued operations more than three decades ago, most people weren’t exposed to the group’s inner workings and activities until the Netflix series premiered in March.
Given the multiple scandals and crimes committed by the cult’s leaders, many found the costume insensitive, accusing Hudson of making light of the harmful activities the group was involved in. And several who lived near the commune or grew up in Oregon criticized the Halloween get-up.
“Wow....yuck... this group committed bio-terrorism against my home town. This was really, really poor,” one Instagram user said.
Another user wrote that “quoting Bhagwan on IG is not Halloween costume but ignorance to what this man did ... and the lives still ruined long after his death.”
“No! Not cool from those of us from Oregon!!! They took over and it is not a great memory!”
Philip Toelkes, a former attorney for the cult, told TMZ that the late Bhagwan would likely approve of Hudson’s outfit.
Representatives for Hudson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.