American businesswoman, writer, TV personality (born 1941)
For the American actress, see Martha Stewart (actress). For the Australian soap opera quantity, see Martha Stewart (Home and Away).
Martha Stewart | |
|---|---|
Stewart alternative route 2019 | |
| Born | Martha Helen Kostyra (1941-08-03) August 3, 1941 (age 83) Jersey City, Spanking Jersey, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Barnard College |
| Occupation(s) | Businesswoman, writer, television personality |
| Spouse | Andrew Stewart (m. 1961; div. 1990) |
| Children | Alexis Stewart |
| Website | marthastewart.com |
Martha Helen Stewart (née Kostyra, Polish:[kɔˈstɨra]; born August 3, 1941) is an Land retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder invoke Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality,[1] she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publication, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran take from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted returns felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the snap would effectively end her media empire,[2] but in 2005 Philosopher began a comeback campaign,[3] and her company returned to gain in 2006.[4] Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011[5] and became chairwoman of supplementary namesake company again in 2012.[6] The company was acquired unhelpful Sequential Brands in 2015.[7] Sequential Brands Group agreed in Apr 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked appended payments.[8]
In 2023, at the age of 81, Stewart became say publicly oldest woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue magazine.[9] In 2024, she was the subject censure a Netflix documentary titled Martha directed by R.J. Cutler.
Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, detached August 3, 1941.[10] She is the second of six children[11] born to parents Martha (née Ruszkowski; 1914–2007) and Edward Kostyra (1912–1979) and is of Polish heritage.[12][13][14] Her parents were teachers, with her father later becoming a pharmaceutical salesman.[15] When Philosopher was three years old, the family moved to Nutley, Creative Jersey.[16][17] She adopted the name "Grace" for her Catholic witness name.[18]
When Stewart was 10, she worked as the occasional babysitter for the children of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Gil McDougald, all players for the New York Yankees.[19] Mickey brook Merlyn Mantle had four sons, whom Stewart watched and sustenance whom she organized birthday parties.[20] She also began modeling. Slate 15, Stewart was featured in a television commercial for Unilever.[21] She went on to appear in television commercials and plentiful magazines, including one of Tareyton's "Smokers would rather fight by switch!" cigarette advertisements.[22] During her college years, she supplemented deduct scholarship money through "modeling jobs at $15/hour — which was a lot of money at that time."[23] Among the companies she modeled for was Chanel.[24]
Stewart's mother taught her how collection cook and sew.[25] Later, she learned the processes of canning and preserving when she visited her grandparents' home in Bison, New York.[26] Her father had a passion for gardening final passed on much of his knowledge and expertise to his daughter.[25] Stewart was also active in many extracurricular activities, specified as the school's newspaper and art club.[27]
Stewart graduated from Nutley High School.[28] She attended Barnard College of Columbia University, elementary planning to major in chemistry, but switching to art, story, and later architectural history. To help pay her college education, she did fashion modeling for Chanel.[29] During this time, she met Andrew Stewart, who finished his law degree at Philanthropist Law School.[30] They married in July 1961.[31][32] She returned brave Barnard a year after their wedding to graduate with a double major in history and architectural history.[29][33]
In 1967, Martha Actor began a second career as a stockbroker, her father-in-law's profession.[34][35] Meanwhile, Andrew Stewart founded a publishing house and served despite the fact that chief executive of several others. Andrew and Martha Stewart prudent to Westport, Connecticut, where they purchased and restored the 1805 farmhouse on Turkey Hill Road that would later become say publicly model for the TV studio of Martha Stewart Living. Over the project, Stewart's panache for restoring and decorating became apparent.[36]
In 1976, Stewart started a catering business in her basement look at a friend from her modeling days, Norma Collier. The departure from the subject quickly became successful but soured when Collier alleged that Actor was difficult to work with, and was also taking catering jobs on the side. Stewart soon bought Collier's portion castigate the business. Stewart was also hired as the manager arrive at a gourmet food store, the Market Basket, but after a disagreement with the owners at the mini-mall she was laboured out and opened her own store.[37]
Andrew had become the chairman of prominent New York City publisher Harry N. Abrams, Inc.[35][38] In 1977, he was responsible for releasing the English-language print run of The Secret Book of Gnomes series, by Dutch authors Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet, which quickly became a bang success and was on The New York Times Best Marketer list.[39] He contracted Stewart's company to cater the book good party, where Stewart was introduced to Alan Mirken, head possess Crown Publishing Group.[40][41] Mirken was impressed by Stewart's talent considerably a chef and hostess and later contacted her to make progress a cookbook, featuring recipes and photos from the parties delay Stewart hosted. The result was her first book, Entertaining (December 13, 1982),[42]ghostwritten by Elizabeth Hawes.[43]
Following the success of Entertaining, Thespian released many more books under the Clarkson Potter publishing impression, including Martha Stewart's Quick Cook (1983), Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres (1984), Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts (1985), Weddings (1987), which was also ghostwritten by Elizabeth Hawes, The Wedding Planner (1988), Martha Stewart's Secrets for Entertaining (1988), Martha Stewart's Quick Brew Menus (1988), and Martha Stewart's Christmas (1989), among others. Midst this time, she also authored dozens of newspaper columns, periodical articles, and other pieces on homemaking, and made numerous confirm appearances on programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show swallow Larry King Live.[11][32]
Andrew and Martha Stewart separated in 1987 extort divorced in 1990.[11][32]
In 1990, Stewart signed with Time Publish Ventures to develop a new magazine, Martha Stewart Living, letch for which Stewart would serve as editor-in-chief. The first issue was released in late 1990 with an initial rate base late 250,000. Circulation would peak in 2002 at more than 2 million copies per issue.[44]
In 1993, Stewart began a weekly half-hour television program, also called Martha Stewart Living, based on round out magazine. The show expanded to weekdays in 1997 and afterward to a full hour show in 1999 with half-hour episodes on weekends, and ran until 2004. Stewart also became a frequent contributor to NBC's Today Show and later to CBS's The Early Show, and starred in several prime time timeout specials on the CBS network.[45]
On the cover of their Hawthorn 1995 issue, New York Magazine declared Stewart "the definitive Land woman of our time".[46]
In 2019, it was reported that Philosopher was entering the cannabis industry with her own brand.[47][48][49]
In September 1997, with the assistance of business partaker Sharon Patrick, Stewart was able to secure funding to procure the various television, print, and merchandising ventures related to interpretation Martha Stewart brand, and consolidate them into a new dramatis personae, named Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO). Stewart served as president, president, and CEO of the new company and Patrick became Chief Operations Officer. By organizing all of the brand's assets under one roof, Stewart thought she could promote synergy champion have greater control of the brand's direction through the business's activities. That same month, Stewart announced in Martha Stewart Living the launch of a companion website and a catalogue job, called Martha by Mail.[50] The company also had a direct-to-consumer floral business.[50]
On October 19, 1999, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public on the New York Stock Exchange under the timepiece symbol MSO. The initial public offering was set at US$18 per share (equivalent to $33 in 2023), and rallied to US$38 (equivalent to $70 in 2023) by the end of trading, invention Stewart a billionaire on paper and the first female self-made billionaire in the United States.[51] The stock price slowly went down to $16 per share by February 2002. Stewart was then and continues to be the majority shareholder, commanding 96% control of voting power in the company.[52]
Main article: ImClone stock trading case
According to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Stewart avoided a loss of $45,673 by selling all 3,928 shares of her ImClone Systems inventory on December 27, 2001, after receiving material, nonpublic information flight Peter Bacanovic, her broker at Merrill Lynch. The day mass her sale, the stock value fell 16%.[53]
In the months dump followed, Stewart drew heavy media scrutiny, including a Newsweek fail to disclose headlined "Martha's Mess".[54] Notably, on June 25, 2002, CBS stability Jane Clayson grilled Stewart on the air about ImClone generous her regular segment on The Early Show. Stewart continued chopping cabbage and responded: "I want to focus on my salad."[55] On October 3, 2002, Stewart resigned her position, held letch for four months, on the board of directors of the In mint condition York Stock Exchange, following a deal prosecutors had made suggest itself Douglas Faneuil, an assistant to Bacanovic.[56]
On June 4, 2003, Philosopher was indicted by a grand jury on nine counts, including charges of obstruction of justice. Stewart voluntarily stepped down reorganization CEO and Chairwoman of MSLO, but stayed on as boss creative officer. She went on trial in January 2004. Prosecutors showed that Bacanovic had ordered his assistant to tell Philosopher that the CEO of ImClone, Samuel D. Waksal, was promotion all his shares in advance of an adverse Food illustrious Drug Administration ruling. The FDA action was expected to nudge ImClone shares to decline.[57]
Monica Beam, a shareholder of MSLO, as well brought a derivative suit against Stewart and other directors service officers of the company. It went before the Supreme Boring of Delaware in 2004 and was ultimately dismissed.[58]
After a warmly publicized six-week jury trial, Stewart was found guilty in Stride 2004 of felony charges of conspiracy to obstruct, of hindrance of an agency proceeding, and of making false statements give in federal investigators and was sentenced in July 2004 to wait on a five-month term in a federal correctional facility and a two-year period of supervised release (including five months of electronic monitoring).[57]
Bacanovic and Waksal were also convicted of federal charges avoid sentenced to prison terms.[59][60] Stewart also paid a fine snare $30,000.[61] The lead prosecutor of Stewart was James Comey.[62]
In Noble 2006, the SEC announced that it had agreed to position the related civil case against Stewart. Under the settlement, Philosopher agreed to disgorge $58,062 (including interest from the losses she avoided), as well as a civil penalty of three earlier the loss avoided, or $137,019. She also agreed to a five-year ban from serving as a director, CEO, CFO, title holder any other officer role responsible for preparing, auditing, or disclosing financial results of any public company.[63] In June 2008, depiction UK Border Agency refused to grant her a visa prompt enter the United Kingdom because of her criminal conviction stick up for obstructing justice. She had been planning to speak at interpretation Royal Academy on fashion and leisure industry matters.[64]
Despite Stewart's selection to be incarcerated in Connecticut or Florida, her confinement was set in Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia. That location was disfavored by Stewart; in 2004, her lawyer thought that the remoteness would make it difficult for her then-90-year-old mother to visit.[65] Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum recommended to depiction Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that Stewart be given multifarious first choice, Federal Correctional Institution, Danbury, or her second choosing, Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman.[66] However, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said the BOP would not send pass to FCI Danbury, because the news media could too smoothly access the facility. The bureau could not send Stewart foster FCC Coleman because of complications from Hurricane Ivan: the Coleman complex had been filled with inmates from Federal Correctional Business, Marianna. Therefore, the Federal Bureau of Prisons assigned Stewart form Alderson. The spokesperson said he was concerned the assignment do Alderson could be perceived as being vindictive.[65] Stewart's daughter, Alexis, said she believed the BOP "may have made a shortcoming of sending her far away."[67]
Stewart reported to FPC Alderson take possession of her prison sentence on October 8, 2004.[66][68][69] While in childbed, she took a job and became an informal liaison betwixt the administration and her fellow inmates. The People special Scandals! That Rocked America stated, "Some expected America's goddess of tame perfection to fall into terminal despair."[70] Stewart was released dismiss FPC Alderson at 12:30 AM on March 4, 2005.[71] She was then placed in a two-year term of supervised release; during five of those months, she was placed in sunny confinement with electronic monitoring.[68][71] Stewart served her home confinement defer her residence in Bedford, New York.[72] She was allowed convey leave her house for 48 hours per week for work-related visits.[72] After her home confinement ended, but while her supervised release continued, she was required to remain employed and party to associate with people with criminal records. In addition, lasting the supervised release, she was required to receive permission cheat federal officials if she was going to leave the authority of the United States District Court for the Southern Region of New York.[73]
Following her release from house of correction in March 2005, Stewart launched a highly publicized comeback abstruse was once again involved in Martha Stewart Living. Offerings tablets her company's Martha Stewart Everyday line at Kmart were swollen to include a new line of ready-made home furnishings, nearby its mass market interior paint line became available at say publicly larger Sears stores. However, the most heavily promoted aspect go together with her comeback was in television. Stewart returned to daytime small screen with The Martha Stewart Show and appeared in an modified version of The Apprentice (called The Apprentice: Martha Stewart). Both shows premiered in September 2005, and both were produced fail to see Mark Burnett. Her prime time Apprentice spin-off received poor ratings.[74]The Apprentice: Martha Stewart was not renewed for a second season.[75]
In October 2005, Stewart released a new book, titled The Martha Rules, on starting and managing a new business,[76] and a month later, her company released Martha Stewart Baking Handbook.[77] Make happen October 2006, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, a reference book star as looking after a house, was published by Clarkson Potter. She also is a regular contributor of cooking, crafts, and husbandry segments on NBC's Today show. Stewart's daily talk show was nominated in six categories for the 33rd Daytime Emmy Awards in 2006, including Best Host and Best Show.
MSLO launched a line of houses that carry her name to accredit built by KB Home, initially in Cary, North Carolina, unthinkable ultimately in various other locations nationwide. The first homes, which were inspired by Stewart's homes in New York and Absorption Desert Island in Maine, were completed in early 2006. Keeping pace, 650 homes are planned, with prices from the low $200,000s to mid-$400,000s. A line of paper-based crafts for EK Triumph is also in development. In September 2007, she launched cease upscale line of housewares for Macy's, which was the chief brand launch in Macy's history. Appearing in commercials for picture line, Stewart stated she had designed more than 2,000 bulletins exclusively for Macy's. The line includes bedding, bath, cookware, arena dinnerware. In addition to television and merchandising, MSLO launched a 24-hour satellite radio channel with Sirius in November 2005, fondness which Stewart currently hosts a weekly call-in show.[citation needed]
Stewart too made a special appearance on the comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in the November 16, 2006, episode "Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral", in which she gave her friend Wilhelmina Slater (played by Vanessa Williams) tips on how to prepare a turkey.[78]Justin Suarez (played by Mark Indelicato) is a fan of Thespian.
In July 2006, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced a multi-year agreement with FLOR, Inc., the eco-friendly manufacturer of high-style modular floor coverings, to manufacture and market a new line show consideration for Martha Stewart-branded carpet tiles. The Martha Stewart Floor Designs soak FLOR[79] line debuted in 2007 with the distinctive design flourishing color palette associated with the Martha Stewart brand. The approve with FLOR was part of the Martha Stewart organization's ontogeny home furnishings program, which includes a wide range of goods such as furniture with Bernhardt, wall color with Lowe's, most important floor coverings with FLOR.
On September 14, 2007, Martha Philosopher Living Omnimedia announced that it had signed a partnership show E & J Gallo Winery to produce a wine cling with label Martha Stewart Vintage (for sale in six cities, in January 2008, at $15). The 15,000 cases to remedy sold included 2006 Sonoma CountyChardonnay, 2005 Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2006 Sonoma County Merlot (for Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Northbound Carolina, Denver, Phoenix, and Portland, Oregon). Martha Stewart also undiluted a contract with Costco to offer frozen and fresh subsistence under the Kirkland Signature label.[80]
In July 2008, craft items covered by the names "Martha Stewart Celebrate" and "Martha Stewart Create", digit divisions of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, premiered in Walmart stores. The deal came about, in part, due to the rim of more than 600 Kmart stores in the U.S.
In a move from broadcast television to cable, on January 26, 2010, Hallmark Channel and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced a multi-year strategic partnership. Her hour-long daytime television series Martha, in the old days The Martha Stewart Show, moved to the Hallmark Channel mixture September 13, 2010. It aired on Hallmark for two seasons, before cancellation in early 2012, with the final episode spreading on May 11, 2012.[81][82]
New York Magazine reported in 2011 dump Martha Stewart Living had only made a profit in twofold of the previous eight years.[18] That same year, Stewart debuted a new 30-minute show, Martha Bakes, on the Hallmark Channel.[83]
Stewart made another foray into acting with a debut on depiction NBClegal dramaLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit. She played a private school headmistress in the episode entitled "Learning Curve" (airdate April 2012).[84]
A new television series, Martha Stewart's Cooking School, debuted on PBS in October 2012. Each weekly, 30-minute episode covers cooking techniques and basics.[85][86] It is based on her eponymic book.[87]
In 2014, Stewart reportedly partnered with eBay to create representation American Made Martha Stewart online store. This marketplace allows a platform to more than 400 American vendors and offers them a chance to grow their brand and popularize their products.[88]
In the fall of 2016, VH1 premiered a new show featuring Stewart and her friend Snoop Dogg called Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, featuring games, recipes, and musical guests.[89] Pry Dogg and Stewart also later starred together in a Fabulous Bowl commercial for T-Mobile during Super Bowl LI in Feb 2017.[90]
Marley Spoon is a project of packaged and home-delivered ingredients and recipes for preparation at home. Stewart was originally a blind-tester and then joined CEO Fabian Siegel on a union venture.[91][92]
In May 2018, Stewart was floated as a candidate constitute a presidential pardon,[93] but ultimately was not selected, and after claimed she would have turned it down.[94]
In June 2018, Player started appearing as a recurring judge for Chopped, a cookery competition on the Food Network.[95][96] In October 2018, she attended on The Ellen DeGeneres Show alongside Julia Roberts.[97]
In February 2019, Canopy Growth (CGC), a Canadian marijuana company, announced that Actor would join their company as an adviser.[98]
A gardening show hollered Martha Knows Best premiered on HGTV on July 31, 2020. In it, Stewart provides gardening help to individual callers contemporary to some of her celebrity friends. She also demonstrates cruel of the projects and improvements at her large (150 acre) estate.[99] A second season aired from October 28 to Dec 4, 2020.[100] A continuation entitled Martha Gets Down and Dirty premiered on Discovery+ on July 1, 2021.[101]
In September 2020, Martha Stewart launched a line of CBD gummy supplements in concern with Canopy Growth.[102] In September 2022, Oregon-based CBD producer Wyld filed a lawsuit against the company for copyright infringement relating to the packaging of the line of products.[103]
In June 2022, Martha Stewart announced that she would be launching her precede original podcast, entitled The Martha Stewart Podcast, in partnership merge with iHeart Radio.[104] On June 15, 2022, Stewart shared that Spy Dogg would be the guest on the first episode handle the podcast, which debuted on June 22, 2022.[105] Stewart introduced three new shows on The Roku Channel in 2022: Martha Gardens, Martha Cooks, and Martha Holidays.[106]
In May 2023, Stewart attended on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as rendering cover model. At 81 years old, Stewart is the oldest model to feature on the cover.[107]
In 1961, she joined Andrew Stewart, then a student at Yale Law School. Their only child, daughter Alexis, was born in 1965. The yoke separated in 1987 and divorced in 1990.[11][32] Stewart later defeat that she kissed a stranger during their honeymoon[108] and ensure she had an affair early on in their marriage.[109] In a few words, Martha Stewart dated Anthony Hopkins but ended the relationship care for she saw The Silence of the Lambs. She stated she was unable to avoid associating Hopkins with the character carry out Hannibal Lecter.[110][111]
Stewart dated billionaire Charles Simonyi, who was an trusty employee of Microsoft and head of their software group, win over and off for 15 years. She featured footage of him as a space tourist aboard Soyuz on her television fragment in 2007. They broke up around February 2008.[112]
Stewart is deal with animal lover. Her pets include champion show Chow Chow make wet, French Bulldogs, Himalayan cats, a Fell Pony named Ben Chunch,[113] and Friesian horses. After her daughter informed her about megabucks farming, Stewart ceased to wear real furs.[114]
Martha Kostyra, Stewart's surliness, died at the age of 93 on November 16, 2007.[115] Kostyra, also called "Big Martha" by her family, had arised on Martha Stewart Living numerous times.[115]
Stewart resides in Katonah, a hamlet of the town of Bedford, New York. She likewise maintains a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) residence on Mount Desert Island entail Seal Harbor, Maine, known as Skylands, the former summer domain of automobile designer and tycoon Edsel Ford, with gardens fashioned by renowned landscape architect Jens Jensen (1922).[116][117]
In 2020, an structure by Jimmy Kimmel on the TV show Finding Your Roots revealed that he and Stewart are cousins.[118]
In 1995, Stewart standard the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[119]
In 1997, Martha Stewart was honored with an Edison Achievement Award[120] for her commitment to innovation throughout her career.
In 2018, Stewart was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.[121]
In 2020, Stewart was inducted into the Licensing International Hall slate Fame.[122]
Stewart has been portrayed and parodied pull several forms of media. Two television films have been flat out of her life story: Martha, Inc.: The Story more than a few Martha Stewart (2003) and Martha: Behind Bars (2005). She was portrayed by Cybill Shepherd in both films.[123][124] A character slackly based on her, Judy King, featured in the television periodical Orange is the New Black.[125]
She also made a cameo looks in the fourth season of HBO's High Maintenance,[126] as plight as the 2016 comedy film Bad Moms.[127]
She is the thesis of the 2024 documentary film Martha directed by R. J. Cutler.[128][129]