Is Halloween The Glow Up’s favorite holiday? Well, we do love to play dress-up, so we’ll let you deduce that for yourselves. But we also love watching other people play dress-up, which is why we spend an ample amount of our time each Halloween week checking out how celebrities celebrate the holiday. This year, they didn’t disappoint, dressing up as iconic characters—and occasionally, as each other. And since the spookiest day of the year has just begun, we’ll be updating this post as more looks emerge.
But first, a special shout-out to YouTuber Blame It on Kway for this hilarious reimagining of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
OK, back to the celebs—some of whom started earlier than others this year—like Cardi B, who gave us the naughty nurse routine. (Are we sure this was for Halloween? Or was it just a Monday?)
Not to be outdone, Megan Thee Stallion and new BFF Jordyn Woods went full-on Mortal Kombat, putting a new spin on “slay.”
LeBron James was sadly forced to evacuate his home on Tuesday, due to the California wildfires, but still found time to chop it up as Edward Scissorhands this Halloween. Updated, Thursday, Oct. 31 at 1:28 pm, ET: We’ve found out that this character is actually cleverly named “LeDward Scissorhands,” Also, Senior Writer Michael Harriott would like us all to take note that LeBron didn’t need to use whiteface to pull off this look.
Ciara and Russell Wilson went meta this year, as the duo channeled fellow famous couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z in the latter’s “Apeshit” video—including a portrait of the Obamas in place of the Mona Lisa and a recreation of one of the video’s now-iconic scenes.
But wait—the Wilson-Wilbur clan came with more! Threatening to outdo their elders, Sienna and Future gave us their own throwback moment as a ’70s-era Janet and Michael Jackson—and both proved to be stars in the making.
Kevin Hart is thankfully up and about again after his car accident and has clearly lost none of his comedic chops. Hart clowned his Central Intelligence co-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, reviving one of Johnson’s vintage looks.
Nicki Minaj is embracing married life—and the couple’s costume. Minaj and new husband Kenneth Petty donned not one, but two coordinated ensembles this Halloween, first dressing as Harley Quinn and the Joker, and then playing with the marital theme in their own version of The Bride of Chucky. (We’ll let you come up with the jokes.)
Jhene Aiko also played with nostalgia, dressing as Ash from Pokémon, complete with Pikachu on her shoulder.
Winnie Harlow’s costume turned out to have a bonus: while the supermodel intended to dress as “Cheerleader Barbie,” it was quickly pointed out that she more closely resembled Space Jam’s Lola Bunny—an even more clever costume.
We’re not sure this was intended to be a Halloween costume, as Drake says it was “not planned.” But since he posted it today, we’re going to go ahead and say that Champagne Papi dressed as...his pops, Dennis Graham.
Apparently, Halloween is one of the few days each year that DeRay McKesson leaves his ubiquitous blue vest at home—though it would’ve coordinated well with his Dodgers’ uniform (McKesson was dressed as No. 42, Jackie Robinson). But with Boy Scout Dyllon Burnside in impossibly short shorts, we’re guessing the vest might’ve been overkill.
Karrueche Tran was clearly feeling sinful this Halloween, as she reincarnated Nancy Callahan from Sin City in a leather bikini, cowboy hat and chaps.
The Glow Up’s personal fave? Normani, who absolutely bodied it this year, channeling one of the most epic beauties to ever do it, Naomi Campbell. And proving that Ms. Campbell appreciates s great homage, she personally endorsed Normani’s recreation of her ‘90s-era Herb Ritts shoot.
Updated, Thursday, Oct. 31 at 1:44 pm, ET: Expectant parents Safaree and Erica Mena just treated us to their maternity-themed Halloween lewks, giving ustheir version of Kanye and Kim Kardashian West—famously attired in what looked like an upholstery print—at the 2013 Met Gala.
Updated, Friday, Nov. 1 at 8:47 am, ET: And we have a winner, Folks! Janelle Monáe showed off not one, but two costumes this Halloween, first showing off her transformation into a Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie in a pre-Halloween look.
But for the main event, the former “Archandroid” dug deep into the era of her new film Harriet to become “Annie Bellum,” the “headless doll face bride. To call this creepy would be an understatement, but like most things Monáe does, it’s also pretty brilliant.
Updated, Sunday, Nov. 3 at 4:50 pm, ET: Never to be outdone, Cardi B apparently dropped another entry on Halloween night, giving us her barely-safe-for-work interpretation of Poison Ivy, with the caption, “That girl is Poison.”
Yes. Yes, she is.
Of course, Halloween 2019 is ongoing. We’ll update as more looks are revealed!