Martha Stewart is the American businesswoman, cookbook author and television personality who founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 1997 and has published 100 books across cooking, entertaining, gardening and home management. Born 3 August 1941 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Stewart rose to prominence with the 1982 book Entertaining, built Martha Stewart Living magazine and television series through the 1990s, and became one of the most recognised lifestyle brands in the United States by the early 2000s.
Stewart current output is remarkable for her age: Entertaining was reissued on 4 November 2025 as a facsimile of the 1982 original, Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook was released in March 2025, and The Martha Way, focused on organising, home management, cooking and gardening, is scheduled for May 2026. Martha: The Cookbook (Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen) marked her 100th book. She continues to appear across television, social media and brand partnerships, including the viral 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover that made her the oldest-ever cover model at age 81.
TL;DR
- American cookbook author, television personality and businesswoman born 3 August 1941
- Published 100 books across cooking, entertaining, gardening and home management
- Founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 1997
- 2025-2026 releases: Entertaining reissue (November 2025), Gardening Handbook (March 2025), The Martha Way (May 2026)
- 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover at age 81
Martha Stewart key facts
| Born | 3 August 1941, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (as Martha Helen Kostyra) |
| Nationality | American (Polish-American heritage) |
| Defining book | Entertaining (1982); reissued November 2025 |
| Company | Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (founded 1997; acquired by Sequential Brands 2015; now Marquee Brands) |
| Books | 100 published across cooking, entertaining, gardening and home |
| Television | Martha Stewart Living (1993-2004); The Martha Stewart Show (2005-2012); Martha Knows Best (2020-2021); multiple ongoing projects |
| 2025-2026 | Entertaining reissue (Nov 2025); Gardening Handbook (Mar 2025); The Martha Way (May 2026) |
Early life and career of Martha Stewart
Stewart was born Martha Helen Kostyra on 3 August 1941 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and raised in Nutley, New Jersey, the second of six children to Edward Kostyra, a pharmaceutical salesman, and Martha Kostyra, a schoolteacher. She has cited her Polish-American parents and grandparents as the source of her interest in cooking, preserving, sewing and gardening. She modelled as a teenager to pay for college and studied chemistry, history and architectural history at Barnard College, graduating in 1964.
Stewart worked as a stockbroker on Wall Street in the 1960s and 1970s, then in 1976 opened a catering business from the basement of her home in Westport, Connecticut. The catering business grew rapidly and became the foundation for her first book, Entertaining, published by Clarkson Potter in 1982. Entertaining was an immediate bestseller and reshaped American entertaining publishing with its oversized format, colour photography and detailed how-to content. Through the 1980s she published more than a dozen follow-up titles including Martha Stewart’s Quick Cook (1983), Martha Stewart’s Hors D’Oeuvres (1984) and Weddings (1987).
In 1990 Martha Stewart Living magazine launched under Time Inc., edited and designed personally by Stewart. In 1993 a companion television series debuted. In 1997 Stewart consolidated the business into Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which went public on the New York Stock Exchange in October 1999. The IPO made her the first self-made female billionaire in the United States.
Martha Stewart career timeline
- 3 August 1941: Born Martha Helen Kostyra in Jersey City, New Jersey
- 1961: Marries Andrew Stewart (they divorce in 1990)
- 1964: Graduates from Barnard College
- Mid-1960s-mid-1970s: Wall Street stockbroker
- 1976: Opens a catering business in Westport, Connecticut
- 1982: Entertaining published by Clarkson Potter; immediate bestseller
- 1980s: More than a dozen follow-up cookbook and entertaining titles
- 1990: Martha Stewart Living magazine launches
- 1993: Martha Stewart Living television series debuts
- 1997: Founds Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, consolidating publishing, television and merchandise
- October 1999: Company goes public on NYSE; Stewart becomes first self-made female billionaire in the US
- 2004-2005: Convicted in ImClone insider-trading case; serves five months in federal prison
- 2005-2012: The Martha Stewart Show airs
- 2015: Company sold to Sequential Brands; later acquired by Marquee Brands
- 2017: Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party debuts on VH1 with Snoop Dogg (runs multiple seasons)
- 2020-2021: Martha Knows Best airs on HGTV during the pandemic
- 2023: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover at age 81, oldest-ever cover model
- October 2024: Netflix documentary Martha released
- March 2025: Martha Stewart’s Gardening Handbook released
- 4 November 2025: Entertaining reissued as a facsimile of the 1982 original
- May 2026: The Martha Way released
Martha Stewart signature style: the lifestyle publishing format
Stewart central contribution is the oversized, photography-first lifestyle book format that Entertaining defined in 1982. The book combined detailed how-to recipes and step-by-step instructions with full-colour photography and designed-magazine typography, creating a template that defined American entertaining publishing for the next four decades. The format was adopted by her subsequent books, by Martha Stewart Living magazine, and by competitors across the American publishing industry.
The second defining element is the multi-category brand. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia from 1997 onwards extended the Martha Stewart brand across magazine publishing, book publishing, television, radio, merchandise (Kmart and later Macy’s partnerships), e-commerce and digital content. The brand ran across cooking, entertaining, gardening, crafting, home decor, weddings and pet care, unified by a consistent colour palette, typography and editorial voice. The multi-category lifestyle brand structure Stewart built has been widely copied, though rarely matched at her scale. It sits in a different register from the cookbook-focused brands of Ina Garten and Rachael Ray.
The third pillar is the late-career reinvention. From 2017 onwards Stewart has used unlikely media platforms (Snoop Dogg VH1 show, Sports Illustrated, TikTok, Netflix documentary) to reach new audiences while continuing to publish traditional cookbooks and lifestyle titles. The cadence of 2025-2026 releases (Gardening Handbook, Entertaining reissue, The Martha Way) shows that at 84 she remains one of the most productive lifestyle publishers in the United States. The Entertaining reissue specifically repositions her 1982 debut for a new generation of readers.
Notable Martha Stewart recipes and publications
Several Stewart recipes and publications have become reference points in American home cooking and entertaining. The 1982 Entertaining book set the template and remains the most-cited entertaining book in American publishing; the November 2025 reissue brings it to a new generation. Martha Stewart’s Cookies (2008) standardised cookie-baking at home for the American market. The Thanksgiving turkey brine and stuffing preparations from multiple Stewart titles are reference sources for the American holiday table. Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook (2005) and Cakes (2013) are standard baking-reference books. Martha: The Cookbook (Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen) celebrated her 100th book. Gardening Handbook (March 2025) formalised her gardening system across her three properties in Bedford, New York. The Martha Way (May 2026) extends the home-management register.
Martha Stewart awards and recognition
- 1982: Entertaining published; immediate bestseller
- October 1999: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia IPO; first self-made female billionaire in the United States
- 2000s: Multiple Daytime Emmy Awards for Martha Stewart Living and The Martha Stewart Show
- 2009: Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lifestyle Program
- 2017: Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party debuts on VH1
- 2023: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover at age 81
- 2024: Netflix documentary Martha released in October
- 2025: Gardening Handbook (March) and Entertaining reissue (November)
- 2026: The Martha Way scheduled for May release (her 101st book)
Martha Stewart impact on American lifestyle publishing
Stewart most concrete contribution is the 1982 Entertaining template: oversized format, photography-first design, step-by-step how-to content. The format defined American entertaining publishing for the next four decades and has been adopted by hundreds of competing cookbook, entertaining and lifestyle titles. The November 2025 facsimile reissue is a deliberate return to the original template that confirms its enduring relevance.
The second contribution is Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the multi-category lifestyle brand structure. The 1997-2015 Omnimedia period established that a single lifestyle brand could run across magazine publishing, book publishing, television, radio, merchandise partnerships, and digital content at scale, producing revenue from each channel that fed the others. The model has been widely copied, though rarely matched at the full multi-category scale Stewart achieved.
Within the current American lifestyle and cookbook publishing generation Stewart sits alongside Ina Garten, Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse as the founding figures of the 1990s-2000s American lifestyle and food-television era. Unlike her peers, Stewart has continued publishing new titles at a cadence of one or more per year into her mid-80s.
Martha Stewart FAQ
How many books has Martha Stewart written?
100 books as of 2024, with Martha: The Cookbook (Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen) marking the 100th. The Martha Way, scheduled for May 2026, will be her 101st. Her books cover cooking, entertaining, gardening, home management, crafting and weddings, and have consistently been among the best-selling American lifestyle titles since Entertaining was published in 1982.
What is Martha Stewart currently doing?
Publishing new books (Gardening Handbook March 2025, Entertaining reissue November 2025, The Martha Way May 2026), appearing across television and social media, and managing brand partnerships and her 150-acre Bedford, New York property. The October 2024 Netflix documentary Martha reintroduced her to a younger audience.
Did Martha Stewart really go to prison?
Yes. Stewart was convicted in March 2004 of conspiracy, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and making false statements to federal investigators, related to her 2001 sale of ImClone stock. She served five months in federal prison in Alderson, West Virginia, from October 2004 to March 2005, and was under home confinement for five additional months. The case and the return to television afterwards shaped the second half of her career.
What is Entertaining?
Stewart 1982 debut book, published by Clarkson Potter, which defined the oversized, photography-first American entertaining publishing format. It was an immediate bestseller and is considered one of the most influential lifestyle books of the late twentieth century. A facsimile reissue of the 1982 original was released on 4 November 2025.
Does Martha Stewart have a TV show now?
Not a weekly series, but she appears regularly across television, social media and brand content. Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party (2017-2021) and Martha Knows Best (2020-2021) were her most recent weekly series. The Netflix documentary Martha, released in October 2024, is her most significant recent television project.
What is next for Martha Stewart
The May 2026 release of The Martha Way is the next major publication. Stewart continues to manage her Bedford, New York property, post regularly across social media, and maintain brand partnerships. Her public Instagram (@marthastewart48) is the best source for current updates.
