What is Martha Stewart’s net worth? Inside new Netflix documentary

Martha Stewart is the OG influencer, and just like other social media stars, she’s had her fair share of controversies over the years, including a prison stint that impacted her net worth, as is detailed in a new Netflix documentary. 

While TikTokers might be focused on getting the most attention possible in the shortest amount of time, Martha spent years building her name and her business. She was a perfectionist, a homemaker, and an entertainer, but over the years, her personal life became tabloid fodder. 

Behind-the-scenes, Martha’s been through a lot but has always maintained her status, whether that be the perfectionist homemaker, the convict, or the unlikely bestie of Snoop Dogg. 

All of this and more is explored in the new Netflix documentary, simply titled Martha, which tracks her incredible life through candid interviews with the celebrity herself, as well as never-before-seen photos, letters, and diary entries. 

Martha Stewart’s net worth explained

According to recent estimates, as of 2024, Martha Stewart is believed to have a net worth of approximately $400 million. But this figure used to be a lot higher. 

In fact, in 1999, the now-83-year-old earned the title of the first female self-made billionaire when her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, went public. Founded by Martha in 1997, the business itself is now a media and merchandising firm focused on publishing, online, broadcasting, and merch lines. 

This is quite the feat given she didn’t grow up in wealth. Following her degree at Barnard College of Columbia University, where she met now ex-husband Andrew Stewart, Martha got into stockbroking. 

She eventually left to start her own catering company, using her skills as a homemaker and entertainer to lead the business. From here, she launched a long line of successful books in cooking and homemaking, hosting TV shows and building her media empire. 

Martha’s net worth was impacted by the insider trading scandal and subsequent arrest (more on this next). According to ABC News, her company’s value plummeted by more than 50%, with her stake in the firm totalling losses of an estimated $325 million.

As is revealed in the Netflix documentary, throughout the ‘00s, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia became an increasingly struggling company as her “social and cultural relevance declined.” 

“I was much more agile before I went to prison,” Martha explains. In 2015, she sold her business to Sequential Brands Group for $353 million, with LA Times reporter Meg James saying, “That was a devastating moment because it marked the end of an era.”

“Being owned by somebody else is not the same as having your own company, at all,” adds Martha, before footage is played of an interview conducted with her at the time of the sale, where she admits to losing “probably more than a billion dollars”.

However, Martha has since built up her career and reputation, helped along significantly by her appearance on Comedy Central’s 2015 roast of pop singer Justin Bieber, which is where she met Snoop Dogg. 

The unlikely duo have gone on to work on a number of projects together, becoming known for their entertaining friendship. Last year, they launched the highly successful Best Buds Bags, which incorporate the BIC EZ Reach Lighter into the design.

Snoop also helped Martha get into the cannabis market, and in 2020, she introduced her own line of CBD wellness supplements and products. So, despite her ups and downs, Martha’s empire continues to flourish, fueled by her brand partnerships, media appearances, and entrepreneurial ventures. 

Why was she arrested?

Martha Stewart was caught in an insider trading scandal that led to her arrest and imprisonment, having sold nearly 4,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company ImClone Systems based on non-public information in December 2001.

Martha’s sale of her ImClone shares unfolded right before a big decision from the FDA about a cancer drug called Erbitux, which ImClone was counting on. 

Her broker at Merrill Lynch, Peter Bacanovic, allegedly shared insider information that ImClone’s CEO and his daughter were selling all their shares, a sign they expected bad news from the FDA. 

Stewart acted quickly, selling her 3,928 shares and avoiding a potential $45,673 loss when ImClone’s stock plunged 16% after the FDA rejected Erbitux.

But the move attracted the attention of the media, sparking speculation that she had been dealing in shady business. Although she initially denied the accusations, following a federal investigation, she was indicted in 2003. 

The following year, Martha was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and making false statements to investigators. She was sentenced to five months in a federal prison, followed by five months of home confinement and two years’ probation. 

This had a significant impact on the celeb, who had built up a reputation as having the perfect, cookie cutter life. The fallout was severe; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s value plummeted, with her personal net worth and reputation suffering.

Despite these setbacks, Stewart returned to rebuild her brand with resilience and adaptability, which she reflects on in the new Netflix documentary.

Where is ex-husband Andrew Stewart now?

Andrew and Martha Stewart separated in 1987 after 26 years of marriage and divorced in 1990. Andrew is now a publisher at Fieldstone Publishing, where his current wife, Shyla Stewart, is president and CEO. 

Martha makes a number of shocking revelations in the new Netflix documentary regarding their marriage, sharing letters she wrote to Andrew after he allegedly had a number of extra-marital affairs – but she also admits to cheating herself. 

“He was not satisfied at home. I don’t know how many girlfriends he had during this time, but I think there were quite a few,” Martha says.

“Young women listen to my advice. If you’re married and you think you’re happily married and your husband starts to cheat on you, he’s a piece of sh*t… get out of that marriage. But I couldn’t do that, couldn’t walk away.”

However, the interviewer interrupts to ask, “Didn’t you have an affair early on in the relationship or when you were a stockbroker?” Martha replies, “Yeah, but I don’t think Andy ever knew about that.”

She’s then told that he “did know about it” and that he claims he “didn’t stray” until he found out about Martha’s infidelity, to which she responds, “Oh, that’s not true. I don’t think.”

Elaborating on her own experiences, she says, “I had a very brief affair with a very attractive Irish man. And it was just nothing, it was nothing. In terms of, I would’ve never broken up a marriage for it.”

She likens it to “the kiss in the cathedral,” referring to the fact that during her honeymoon with Andrew, she visited a duomo in Venice alone and ended up kissing a “very handsome” stranger. 

Martha describes how she got caught up in the romanticism of the setting. “He was emotional, I was emotional,” she says, adding, “And so why not kiss a stranger?” 

Although this happened post-marriage, Martha argues that she wasn’t being “naughty or unfaithful,” and that “it was just emotional, of the moment.”

Martha is streaming on Netflix now. You can also read about whether Chris Brown went to jail, how to watch the Ruby Franke documentary, and the best true crime to binge this Halloween.