In late 2011, Neil Patrick Harris and his husband David Burtka held a big Halloween party. This was only a few months after singer Amy Winehouse tragically died in July 2011. At the party, Harris served a meat platter designed to look like Winehouse’s body – complete with a sign labeling it “The Corpse of Amy Winehouse.” Importantly, it was not an actual cake (as some reports have called it), but a buffet display made of meats (beef ribs, pulled pork, chicken sausage in BBQ sauce) crafted to look like a gruesome corpse. When pictures of this prank resurfaced online years later, many people were shocked. The incident prompted Harris to apologize in 2022, calling the stunt “regrettable then…and now”.
The 2011 Halloween Party
-
When: The party took place during Halloween 2011 – roughly three months after Amy Winehouse’s death in July 2011. Winehouse, a Grammy-winning singer known for hits like “Rehab,” was just 27 when she died.
-
Hosts: Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, actor-chef David Burtka, threw the event at their home. Harris was famous for roles in How I Met Your Mother and Doogie Howser, and the couple often hosted elaborate Halloween bashes.
-
What was served: The centerpiece was not a sweet cake, but a macabre food display. Photos show a platter of smoked meats (beef ribs, pulled pork, chicken sausage) arranged as if they were a dead body. Next to it was a placard reading “The Corpse of Amy Winehouse”, and the note even listed the foods on the platter: “Beef ribs, pulled pork, chicken sausage in a spicy BBQ sauce.”
-
Appearance: Reports describe the display as extremely realistic and graphic. The fake “corpse” looked bloody and mangled, with details like a missing eye and even a fake cigarette hanging out of its mouth. (One guest later described it as resembling a horror-movie prop.) This was meant to be a dark, tongue-in-cheek Halloween joke for party-goers.
In summary, Harris’s Halloween 2011 prank involved a meat “Amy Winehouse body” on a platter. It was intended as a shocking Halloween decoration, not an actual dessert. (In fact, Harris himself said it was meant as a joke at the time.) However, serving a platter labeled with Winehouse’s name so soon after her death would later prove to be controversial.
Social Media Outcry and Backlash
For nearly a decade, the 2011 party photos remained little known outside Harris’s circle. That changed in May 2022, when social media users rediscovered the images. A Variety writer’s tweet and articles by entertainment sites helped the photo “make the rounds” online. Almost immediately, fans and social media users expressed anger and disgust. Many found the centerpiece disrespectful and cruel. For example, Twitter posts that resurfaced in 2022 called the idea of an “Amy Winehouse cake” disturbing and cruel, given Winehouse’s history. People noted that Winehouse had struggled publicly with addiction, and dying at age 27 made the timing especially sensitive. In the words of critics, the Halloween prank seemed to be “mocking someone’s death” and “making light of” a very personal tragedy.
The backlash grew quickly. News outlets reported that Harris had faced sharp criticism online for the 2011 stunt. Fans of Winehouse and many others on social media demanded an explanation and an apology. The discussion often pointed out that Winehouse was a talented artist (she’d won five Grammy Awards in 2008 for her album Back to Black) and that her death had been a sad loss. In short, what Harris and Burtka intended as Halloween humor was being widely seen as a tasteless joke at the expense of Amy Winehouse’s memory.
Harris’s Apology
Facing the renewed criticism in 2022, Neil Patrick Harris issued a public apology. He told Entertainment Weekly that he and Burtka regretted the 2011 display. Harris said the photo of the Halloween platter “recently resurfaced” and explained:
“It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now. Amy Winehouse was a once-in-a-generation talent, and I’m sorry for any hurt this image caused.”
In other words, Harris acknowledged the joke was in poor taste. He emphasized that Winehouse was an extraordinary artist and expressed sincere remorse for hurting fans. (Harris also confirmed that the platter was indeed from the 2011 Halloween party he and Burtka hosted.) This apology was reported by many media outlets, and Harris made it clear he understood why people found the old prank offensive.
Key points from Harris’s apology:
-
He referred to the Halloween photo as a “joke” gone wrong, saying it was regrettable both back then and now.
-
He called Amy Winehouse “a once-in-a-generation talent,” highlighting how much respect he had for her music.
-
He apologized “for any hurt this image caused”, making it clear he was sorry that fans were upset.
This apology was Harris’s formal response to the controversy. He did not, however, go into detail about why the prank was made (other than it being a Halloween theme). Instead, he focused on regret and respect for Winehouse. David Burtka also apologized privately to fans, according to reports, though Harris made the public statement.
Why This Sparked Debate
Why did a party joke from 2011 become such a heated issue? A big part of the answer lies in timing and tone. Amy Winehouse’s death at 27 in 2011 was a fresh wound for many fans. Winehouse had been very open about her struggles with addiction, and her passing was widely mourned. Presenting her as a “corpse” just months later struck people as insensitive and cruel, even if it was meant as dark humor. On social media, commenters pointed out that mocking someone’s recent death for a party display went “too far”.
Another factor was how long the joke stayed under the radar. Because it only became widely known in 2022 (eleven years later), many younger people who were not online in 2011 only heard about it through social media chatter. Without the original context, some reacted with shock, calling out Harris for what they saw as “bad taste”. In essence, an old prank unexpectedly met a new audience and sensibility.
Critics have cited this incident as an example of how humor about real tragedies can backfire. As Mediaite summarized, Harris “faced backlash not just for making light of someone’s death but also for seemingly mocking those struggling”. In today’s media environment, celebrities often have to answer for old actions once they become public knowledge. Harris’s situation shows how a moment intended as private humor can later be seen as offensive by the public.
Conclusion
In summary, the “Neil Patrick Harris Amy Winehouse cake” story refers to a controversial Halloween 2011 party display – a meat platter made to resemble Winehouse’s corpse. It was called a “cake” in some headlines, but in reality it was an elaborate food prop, not a baked cake. The joke caused no public stir at the time, but images of it went viral in 2022. When fans and media revisited the incident, many condemned it as disrespectful toward Amy Winehouse and her legacy. Neil Patrick Harris publicly apologized, calling the stunt regrettable and expressing regret for any pain caused.
This episode highlights how humor can clash with sensitivity, especially when it involves someone who died too young. Fans remember Winehouse not for the Halloween prank, but for her powerful voice and hit songs. Ultimately, Harris’s apology and the public reaction serve as a reminder that even well-meaning jokes can be hurtful if the timing or subject is wrong.
