Martha Stewart
Born 1941 · Age 84
American entrepreneur, author and television personality; founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; built a multi-channel lifestyle brand across publishing, TV, merchandising and e‑commerce; convicted in 2004 related to ImClone case, served five months in prison, later staged a business comeback.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born Martha Kostyra in Jersey City, New Jersey
Born to Martha (née Ruszkowski) and Edward Kostyra; second of six children in a Polish-American family.
Family moves to Nutley, New Jersey
Family relocated from Jersey City to Nutley, where she grew up and learned cooking, sewing and gardening from family.
Babysat children of New York Yankees players
As a child, occasionally babysat sons of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Gil McDougald; organized birthday parties.
Early modeling: Unilever television commercial
Featured at about age 15 in a television commercial for Unilever; later modeled for Breck, Clairol and other brands.
Married Andrew Stewart
Married Andrew (Andy) Stewart while he was a Yale Law student; she later returned to finish college after marriage.
Graduated Barnard College (BA in history/architectural history)
Completed degree in history and architectural history at Barnard (Columbia University affiliation).
Birth of daughter Alexis Stewart
Only child Alexis born in 1965; Stewart paused some modeling work after daughter’s birth.
Began career as an institutional stockbroker
Entered Wall Street as a stockbroker (followed family-in-law profession); worked at small Wall Street firms.
Managed gourmet food store 'Market Basket' (manager role)
Hired as manager of a gourmet food store; left after a dispute and subsequently opened her own store (year approximate).
Purchased Turkey Hill farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut
Bought and began restoring an 1805 farmhouse called Turkey Hill; purchase price reported at $46,750.
Left Wall Street (recession-era)
Left brokerage work during the early 1970s recession and focused on restoring Turkey Hill and domestic pursuits.
Started a catering business in her basement
Launched a catering business with Norma Collier from her home kitchen; business quickly grew (later Stewart bought out partner).
Published first book 'Entertaining'
First cookbook Entertaining (ghostwritten by Elizabeth Hawes) published Dec 13, 1982; became a bestseller and launched her author career.
Published 'Martha Stewart's Quick Cook'
Follow-up cookbook expanding her publishing presence (part of series of books in the 1980s).
Published 'Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres'
Another early title that reinforced her reputation in entertaining and food.
Published 'Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts'
Continued prolific publishing through the 1980s with genre-specific cookbooks.
Published 'Weddings' and separation from Andrew Stewart
Released Weddings (1987); same year she and Andrew separated (divorce finalized 1990).
Published 'The Wedding Planner' and other titles
Published additional books including The Wedding Planner and Secrets for Entertaining during late 1980s.
Signed with Time Publishing Ventures to create 'Martha Stewart Living'
Agreement to develop Martha Stewart Living magazine; she became editor-in-chief; first preview issue late 1990.
Martha Stewart Living launched as a magazine
Magazine began regular publication (initially quarterly then monthly); grew rapidly to multi-million circulation.
Launched 'Martha Stewart Living' TV series
Weekly half-hour syndicated television program based on the magazine premiered in 1993; later expanded to daily programming.
Launched 'Martha Stewart Weddings' magazine
Expanded magazine brand with special-interest titles; Weddings launched as an annual/regular publication.
Received Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
Recognized in 1995 with the Golden Plate Award for achievement in business and culture.
Signed merchandising deal with Kmart ($5M reported)
Martha Stewart Everyday bed, bath and paint collections launched exclusively at Kmart; reported consulting/advertising contract ~$5M that helped fund expansion.
Received Edison Achievement Award
Honored with an Edison Achievement Award for innovation and leadership in 1997.
Purchased Martha-related businesses and founded MSLO
Consolidated her TV, print, merchandising and e‑commerce assets into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia; became chairwoman, president and CEO; Sharon Patrick became COO.
MSLO initial public offering on NYSE
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public at $18 per share; stock closed the day at $38, briefly making Stewart a paper billionaire and first self-made female billionaire in the U.S.
Martha Stewart Everyday Kitchen collection at Kmart
Expanded the Kmart line with kitchen items; part of broad retail-licensing strategy.
Sold ImClone shares (SEC scrutiny)
According to the SEC, Stewart sold 3,928 ImClone Systems shares on Dec 27, 2001, avoiding a loss of $45,673 when stock plunged the next day.
MSLO stock drops to $16 (Feb 2002)
MSLO stock declined from IPO highs to around $16 per share by Feb 2002, reducing Stewart's paper net worth substantially.
Resigned from NYSE board
Stepped down from a seat on the New York Stock Exchange board amid the ImClone-related investigation (had joined earlier in 2002).
Indicted by federal grand jury
Indicted on nine counts (including obstruction) in June 2003 related to ImClone; stepped down as CEO and Chairwoman of MSLO but remained chief creative officer.
Found guilty on felony counts
In March 2004 a jury convicted Stewart of conspiracy to obstruct, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to investigators.
Sentenced to five months in federal prison and $30,000 fine
In July 2004 Stewart was sentenced to five months incarceration, two years supervised release and fined $30,000.
Reported to Federal Prison Camp, Alderson
Began serving five-month prison sentence at FPC Alderson, West Virginia (inmate #55170-054).
Released from prison; began supervised release/home confinement
Released March 4, 2005; served remainder of sentence under home confinement and electronic monitoring, allowed 48 work-related hours per week.
Returned to TV: The Martha Stewart Show and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart
Premiered two Mark Burnett-produced shows in Sept 2005: syndicated daytime The Martha Stewart Show and reality spin-off The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
Published 'The Martha Rules'
Released The Martha Rules (Oct 2005), a book on starting and managing a business after her release.
Launched Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius
MSLO launched a 24-hour satellite radio channel on Sirius (channel 112); Stewart hosted a weekly call-in show.
MSLO & KB Home co-branded housing unveiled
KB Home and MSLO unveiled the first Martha Stewart-branded community near Raleigh, NC; initial homes completed early 2006; plan up to 650 homes.
Published 'Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook'
Important reference title on household management published by Clarkson Potter, became a best-selling resource.
SEC civil settlement (disgorgement & penalty)
In Aug 2006 Stewart agreed to disgorge $58,062 (including interest) and pay a civil penalty of $137,019 and accept a five-year ban from certain officer/director roles in public companies.
MSLO returned to profitability
After the legal troubles and Stewart's comeback, MSLO reported a return to profitability in 2006.
Launched multiple retail/licensing partnerships (Michael's, Safavieh, Flor)
Expanded branded products: Martha Stewart Crafts at Michael's, area rugs with Safavieh, carpet tiles with FLOR (debuted 2007).
Launched Macy's exclusive Martha Stewart Collection
Nationwide launch of an upscale housewares, bedding and decor line sold exclusively at Macy's; Stewart designed thousands of items.
Partnership with E & J Gallo Winery for 'Martha Stewart Vintage' wines
Agreement to produce a Martha Stewart-labeled wine brand; initial 15,000 cases (2006/2005 vintages) sold in select cities at $15 retail (planned sale Jan 2008).
MSLO acquired Emeril Lagasse franchise
MSLO expanded by acquiring the Emeril brand including TV programming, cookbooks, licensed products and food products.
MSLO invested in Pingg and launched digital invitations (2009)
Strategic investment in online invitations/event-planning company Pingg (2008); MSLO integrated Martha-designed invitations in 2009.
ASPCA Presidential Service Award
Awarded the ASPCA Presidential Service Award in April 2009 for contributions to animal welfare; MSLO launched pets initiative same year.
Announced multi-year partnership with Hallmark Channel
MSLO and Hallmark Channel announced strategic partnership; her hour-long show 'Martha' moved to Hallmark on Sept 13, 2010.
Became grandmother (first grandchild Jude)
Her daughter Alexis had a child (granddaughter Jude) in 2011; a grandson Truman followed in 2012.
Rejoined MSLO board of directors
After the expiration of regulatory bans, Stewart rejoined the board of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.
Named nonexecutive chairwoman of MSLO
Stewart resumed the role of chairwoman (nonexecutive) of her namesake company in 2012.
MSLO signed deal to be acquired by Sequential Brands Group (announced later)
Discussions and reports culminated in Sequential Brands' acquisition of MSLO (deal reported in/around 2013–2015; finalized 2015).
MSLO acquired by Sequential Brands (year of acquisition)
Sequential Brands acquired Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2015; deal value reported in news coverage in the $300–353M range.
Appeared on Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber
Guest at the 2015 roast; her onstage friendship with Snoop Dogg began during this event and later led to collaborations.
Launched Martha & Marley Spoon meal-kit venture
Partnership between Sequential Brands/Marley Spoon and Stewart to create Martha & Marley Spoon meal-kit service (announced Jun 14, 2016).
Premiered 'Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party' on VH1
Co-hosted a new cable show with Snoop Dogg beginning in 2016, expanding Stewart's cultural relevance across generations.
Appeared with Snoop Dogg in T‑Mobile Super Bowl commercial
Co-starred with Snoop Dogg in a widely viewed Super Bowl LI advertisement, increasing pop-culture visibility.
Joined Canopy Growth as adviser (cannabis industry)
In Feb 2019 (announced) Stewart joined Canadian marijuana company Canopy Growth as an adviser; led to later product collaborations including CBD gummies.
Began recurring judge role on 'Chopped' (Food Network)
Started appearing as a recurring judge on Chopped (from June 2018), reinforcing her culinary authority on TV.
Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
Recognized by her home state for contributions to business and culture (inducted 2018).
Inducted into Licensing International Hall of Fame
Honored for her extensive licensing and merchandising career in 2020.
Premiered 'Martha Knows Best' on HGTV
Gardening show debuted July 31, 2020; a second season aired later in 2020; spin-off 'Martha Gets Down and Dirty' premiered July 1, 2021 on Discovery+.
Launched Canopy Growth CBD gummy supplements
Introduced a line of CBD gummy supplements in partnership with Canopy Growth (Sept 2020); later faced a packaging lawsuit by Wyld in 2022.
Launched new Roku shows
Introduced three original shows on The Roku Channel in 2022: Martha Gardens, Martha Cooks, and Martha Holidays.
Announced 'The Martha Stewart Podcast' with iHeartRadio
Launched her first original podcast in partnership with iHeartRadio; first episode released June 22, 2022 with guest Snoop Dogg.
On cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
In May 2023 became the oldest woman (age 81) to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Subject of Netflix documentary 'Martha' directed by R. J. Cutler
Feature documentary exploring her rise, fall and comeback released in 2024 (directed by R.J. Cutler).
Released 100th book, 'MARTHA: THE COOKBOOK'
Published milestone 100th book in October 2024, released alongside her Netflix documentary.
Co-hosted NBC reality cooking competition 'Yes, Chef!' with José Andrés
Co-hosted the NBC series featuring twelve experienced chefs addressing interpersonal and kitchen challenges (2025).
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