Martha Stewart

• Born: August 3, 1941
• Place of Birth: Jersey City, New Jersey

Stewart transformed a home-based catering business into a multibillion-dollar media franchise centered upon her image as a consummate hostess, food expert, and do-it-yourself decorator.

A former model, stockbroker, and caterer, Martha Stewart released her best-selling first book, Entertaining, in 1982. Over the next several years, she published additional food books and a popular wedding planner that extended her name recognition and provided the foundation upon which the Martha Stewart brand was built. In 1986, she made her debut as a featured host on Holiday Entertaining with Martha Stewart, a public television special; the success of the program, distributed as a mail-order video, brought Stewart additional television opportunities.

In 1990, Stewart launched a new lifestyle magazine, Martha Stewart Living, an instant success and a forerunner of other celebrity-based women’s glossies such as Oprah Winfrey’s O, along with spinoff television programs, videos, and books. Stewart’s deal with Time Warner also included regular appearances on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) morning program The Today Show.

In 1993, Stewart launched a television version of her magazine, also titled Martha Stewart Living, which was produced through a subsidiary of Time and syndicated throughout the country. With Stewart as the show’s host, the series became one of the most-watched morning programs among female viewers and earned several Emmy Awards before it was discontinued in 2004 in the midst of Stewart’s legal troubles.

In 1997, Stewart founded a new company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), an umbrella company for her diverse publishing, television, online, and merchandising ventures. In October 1999, Stewart took her company public in an initial public offering. Stock prices for MSLO skyrocketed, and Stewart, owner of 60 percent of the company’s shares, amassed paper assets worth more than $1 billion almost overnight. In 2000, MSLO reported profits in excess of $21 million with annual sales of more than $285 million.

In 2002, Stewart came under federal investigation for insider trading as a result of her suspicious sale of nearly four thousand shares of ImClone stocks on December 27, 2001, a day prior to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement declaring that the company’s promising cancer drug would not be reviewed. In 2003, Stewart was indicted by a federal grand jury for securities fraud, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy, and she stepped down from her position as chair and chief executive officer of MSLO. In 2004, she was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators and was sentenced to five months in prison, followed by five months of house arrest.

Following her release, Stewart returned to her varied business activities, including her daily television show. In 2005, she released the books The Martha Rules, about launching and managing a business, and Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. Her variety talk show The Martha Stewart Show (later renamed Martha) premiered in syndication in September 2005. The following year, she published Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook, about home upkeep and maintenance. In 2007, she partnered with the retail giant Macy’s to release a line of upscale housewares, including bedding and kitchenware, in the largest brand launch in Macy’s history. In 2012, the partnership between MSLO and Macy’s accounted for $250 million in sales.

In 2008, she released the book Martha Stewart’s Cooking School. In 2010, her daytime television series Martha moved to the Hallmark Channel before its cancellation due to rising costs in 2012. In October 2012, she launched a new show called Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, based on her 2008 book of the same name, on PBS. In each weekly episode, she presented step-by-step instructions to demonstrate classic cooking techniques. In September 2011, she rejoined the board of directors of MSLO and became chair in 2012. In 2016, she partnered with the rapper Snoop Dogg to headline a weekly show on VH1 called Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, in which the two prepare cocktails and food to host celebrity friends for dinner.

Stewart continued to work tirelessly into her eighties. She began appearing as a recurring judge on the cooking competition Chopped for the Food Network in 2018. She launched a gardening show, Martha Knows Best, on July 31, 2020. She announced that she would launch her first original podcast, The Martha Stewart Podcast, in 2022, with Snoop Dogg as her first guest. At the age of eighty-one Stewart appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in May 2023. In 2024, Stewart announced that she was writing an autobiography and filming a documentary to stream on Netflix.

Impact

Stewart has achieved success through a variety of ventures, including books, television, and merchandise, and her judgments on food, home decor, and style have achieved the status of the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. With the authority of her brand name, Stewart has been able to expand into new product lines, from paint to bedding to stationery.

Bibliography

Allen, Lloyd. Being Martha: The Inside Story of Martha Stewart and Her Amazing Life. John Wiley & Sons, 2006.

Byron, Christopher. Martha Inc.: The Incredible Story of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. John Wiley & Sons, 2002.

Garber, Megan. "Martha Stewart, Queen of All Internet." The Atlantic, 9 Aug. 2016, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/08/martha-stewart-queen-of-all-internet/495125. Accessed 22 May 2024.

Harris, Elizabeth A. "Martha Stewart Living and Macy's Settle Dispute and Keep Partnership." The New York Times, 2 Jan. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/01/03/business/martha-stewart-living-and-macys-settle-contract-dispute.html. Accessed 22 May 2024.

La Ferla, Ruth. "Martha Stewart Has 'Never-Ending Curiosity' (And a Few Regrets)." The New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/04/05/style/martha-stewart-has-never-ending-curiosity-and-a-few-regrets.html. Accessed 22 May 2024.

"Martha Stewart Rejoins Her Board." The New York Times, 26 Sept. 2011, www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/business/martha-stewart-rejoins-her-board.html. Accessed 22 May 2024.

Price, Joann F. Martha Stewart: A Biography. Greenwood Press, 2007.