Martha Stewart

Martha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. She is best known as the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, a business focusing on home and hospitality that encompasses publishing, broadcasting, merchandising, and e-commerce. She has authored numerous bestselling books, published Martha Stewart Living magazine, and hosted the syndicated television programs Martha Stewart Living and The Martha Stewart Show.

Stewart was born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941, in Jersey City, New Jersey, and raised in Nutley, New Jersey. She learned cooking and sewing from her mother, canning and preserving from her grandparents, and gardening from her father. During her youth and college years at Barnard College, where she earned a double major in history and architectural history, she worked as a fashion model for companies such as Chanel and appeared in television commercials.

In 1967, Stewart began a career as a stockbroker. She later started a basement catering business in 1976, which led to an introduction to the head of Crown Publishing Group and the release of her first cookbook, Entertaining, in 1982. She went on to publish numerous books on cooking, weddings, and homemaking, author newspaper and magazine columns, and make regular television appearances.

In 1990, Stewart launched Martha Stewart Living magazine, serving as editor-in-chief, followed by a syndicated television show of the same name in 1993. In 1997, she consolidated her brand ventures into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), serving as chairwoman, president, and chief executive officer. When the company went public in 1999, the rising stock price briefly made Stewart the first self-made female billionaire in the United States.

In 2004, Stewart was convicted of federal felony charges, including conspiracy and obstruction of justice, stemming from the ImClone stock trading case. She served a five-month sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia, followed by five months of home confinement and supervised release. She was also fined, settled a civil case with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and accepted a five-year ban from serving as an officer or director of a public company.

Following her release, Stewart returned to her business ventures, with MSLO returning to profitability in 2006. She rejoined MSLO's board in 2011 and became chairwoman again in 2012 before the company was sold to Sequential Brands in 2015 and later to Marquee Brands in 2019. In 2023, she became the oldest woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and she was the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary Martha.