When you hear the name Martha Stewart, you probably think of her in relation to the empire she's built: magazines, homewares, TV shows, books, and everything else she's created to help people live a more beautiful, inspiring life. But long before she was a lifestyle expert and a household name, Martha was one of six children who would pursue modeling and a career as a stockbroker before realizing her true calling.
Martha's rise from New Jersey girl to the most trusted expert in home, entertaining, and food is as inspiring as her current life as a successful entrepreneur. Growing up, her mother, Big Martha, was her "greatest teacher." She instilled in her a love of cooking, among many other things, which would go on to serve her well, along with the fanbase she'd build with her cookbooks, cooking show, and beyond.
So, how did she go from being a 20-something model and stockbroker to an international icon? Read on to learn more about Martha Stewart's fascinating history and her path to success.
The Best Throwback Photos of Martha Stewart
1941
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Martha was born Martha Kostyra in New Jersey in 1941 to her father (Edward) and mother (Martha). She was the second of six children. Here, Martha poses with her whole family—her parents and all five of her siblings (from left, Frank, Kathryn, Martha, Laura, Erik, and George).
Mid 1940s
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Growing up in Nutley, New Jersey, Martha was close with her mother, who was often called Big Martha. Both of Martha's parents were do-it-yourselfers from whom she learned countless lessons, but she calls her mother her greatest teacher—and not just because they share a name!
Family Recipes from Big Martha, Martha Stewart's Mother
1950
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Here's the Kostyra family home at 86 Elm Place in New Jersey around 1950. Martha has made many homes beautiful throughout her life, but this is where it all started.
Late 1950s
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In high school, Martha turned to modeling to make some extra money. Not only was she in advertisem*nts and magazines, she also appeared in television commercials in the '50s and '60s!
Early 1960s
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Martha left New Jersey to attend university at Barnard College in New York City. There, she studied History and Architectural History, majors that would serve her well in her future career. To help pay for her tuition, she continued modeling, appearing on fashion runways and in ads for brands like Breck, Clairol, and Lifebuoy Soap.
1961
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Martha didn't just study and model in college. She also married Andrew Stewart while she was in school. He was a student at Yale Law School when they tied the knot in 1961, and Martha wore—what else?!—a dress she made with her mother.
1967
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After graduating from college and getting married, Martha took up a career as an institutional stockbroker. Here, you can see her on her daily commute from her apartment on the Upper West Side to work on lower Broadway.
1970
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The Stewarts bought their first home, Turkey Hill, in Westport, Connecticut, in 1970. The historic farmhouse was just $46,750 when they bought it. By the time Martha moved out in 2007, she'd bought the surrounding four acres and turned it into a full-on farmstead, complete with renovations of the house, a barn, and more.
Take a Tour of Martha's Turkey Hill Home
1973
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Martha's daughter, Alexis, was born in 1965. Here, you can see an 8-year-old Alexis helping her mother in a classic Martha pursuit—painting the clapboard of the Turkey Hill house.
1976
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Martha eventually left Wall Street and decided to open a catering company from her kitchen. She made everything from scratch, and the recipes she used eventually became the basis for her famous cookbooks.
1982
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In 1982, Martha published her first book, Entertaining—a complete how-to on hosting parties both big and small.
1990
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The first preview issue of Martha Stewart Living was published in winter 1990. In 1991, Martha Stewart and Time Publishing Ventures launched Martha Stewart Living as a quarterly magazine.
1992
In 1992, Martha Stewart Living TV launched as a weekly half-hour syndicated show.
1994
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In 1994, Martha Stewart Weddings magazine launched as an annual publication.
1997
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In 1997, Martha Stewart Everyday bed, bath, and paint collections launched exclusively at Kmart.
1998
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In 1998, Martha Stewart Everyday kitchen textiles, window treatments, and bath accessories launched at Kmart.
1999
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In 1999, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
2000
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In 2000, the Martha Stewart Everyday Kitchen collection launched at Kmart.
2003
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In 2003, MSLO published the first issue of Everyday Food magazine.
2003
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In 2003, MSLO also launched the Martha Stewart furniture line with Bernhardt.
2004
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In 2004, MSLO acquires Body+Soul magazine and Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing newsletter.
2005
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Following the success of its namesake magazine, the Everyday Food television program launched on PBS in 2005.
2005
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In 2005, Martha Stewart Living Radio launched on Sirius Satellite Radio's channel 112.
2005
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In 2005, NBC began airing The Martha Stewart Show, a nationally syndicated lifestyle series hosted by Martha.
2005
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Martha shares the secrets to her success in her 2005 book, The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Build, or Manage a Business.
2006
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MSLO and KB Home unveiled their first co-branded community near Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2006.
2006
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In 2006, Clarkson Potter published the best-selling book Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook.
2007
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In 2007, the Martha Stewart Collection, sold exclusively at Macy's, launched nationwide.
2007
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MSLO and Generation Brands launched Martha Stewart-branded lighting in 2007.
2007
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The Martha Stewart Crafts line, featuring a wide array of materials for paper crafting and scrapbooking, debuted at Michael's stores in the U.S. and Canada in 2007.
2007
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MSLO launched Martha Stewart-branded area rugs with Safavieh in 2007.
2007
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In 2007, MSLO and Flor launched Martha Stewart-branded carpet tiles.
2007
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Also in 2007, Martha Stewart Favorite Holiday Ham launched at Costco Wholesale warehouses nationwide. It's the first in a series of food products that launched at the retailer throughout 2008.
2007
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In 2007, Clarkson Potter/Publishers and MSLO announced a 10-book collaboration over five years, which later expands to 12 books. One year later, Martha Stewart's Cooking School, a book filled with lessons, techniques, and recipes for the home cook, debuted on The New York Times Best-Seller List in the Advice/How-To category.
2008
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In 2008, MSLO acquired the Emeril Lagasse franchise, including television programming, cookbooks, digital, licensed kitchen products, and food products.
2008
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In 2008, MSLO and 1800flowers.com launched a new co-branded flowers program. Here, Martha and the company's CEO, Jim McCann, announce their new collaboration at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York's Times Square.
2008
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In 2008, MSLO invested in Pingg, a stylish and functional online invitation and event-planning company. One year later, Martha unveiled Martha Stewart-designed online invitations and entertaining ideas on pingg.com.
2009
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In 2009, MSLO launched a multi-platform pets initiative, starting with the Pets channel on MarthaStewart.com. The initiative offered readers fresh ideas and information related to pet care and the joys of animal companionship, plus a blog from the perspective of Martha's French bulldogs, called The Daily Wag.
In April, Martha was also awarded the ASPCA Presidential Service Award.
2009
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Published in March 2009: Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts contains complete instructions and brief histories for more than 30 techniques, projects, and templates for crafters of all skill levels.
2009
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In 2009, MSLO partnered with Crane & Co. to release a line of stationery products, beginning with Martha Stewart Weddings Stationery.
2011
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In 2011, Martha became a grandmother when her daughter Alexis had a daughter named Jude. A grandson, Truman, joined the family a year later.
2011
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Martha's a welcome guest in people's homes several times a week, thanks to her two PBS shows, Martha Bakes and Martha Stewart Cooking School, which started in 2011 and 2012, respectively. On her shows, she shares her personal techniques and favorite recipes so viewers can also feel like a master of the kitchen.
2011
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2011 was extra-special for Martha—she was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame that year!
2012
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Martha debuted the Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery product line at Staples. The collection featured more than 300 products—from journals to meal-planning systems—and kicked off a long-standing partnership with the retailer.
2015
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Martha joined fellow celebs and comedians for Comedy Central's roast of Justin Bieber and proved to be the star of the show with her hilarious advice.
2016
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Martha and pal Snoop Dogg started their own cooking show, Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, in 2016, where they cooked delicious recipes, chatted with friends, and had a whole lot of fun.
2018
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Since 2018, Martha has been a recurring judge on the Food Network show Chopped. Her extensive knowledge of food and recipes has made her a fan favorite. She's also served as a judge on Masterchef Junior.
2019
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In 2019, Martha debuted her 95th book: Martha Stewart's Cookie Perfection. The tome features more than 100 classic recipes that are given updated twists.
2020
Martha broke the internet in 2020 with her famous pool selfie. "My pool in East Hampton is the place to be on a 89 degree day," she captioned the viral Instagram post.
2020
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Martha released not one, but two books in 2020—her 96th and 97th, respectively. Martha Stewart's Organizing is all about getting and staying organized, while Martha Stewart's Cake Perfection is a master class on baking.
2021
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Martha didn't slow down at all during 2021. She released an additional two books this year—her 98th (Martha Stewart's Very Good Things) and 99th (Martha Stewart's Fruit Desserts)—following the success of her previous two tomes.
2022
In 2022, Martha debuted three new shows on the Roku Channel—Martha Gardens, Martha Cooks, andMartha Holidays. Each show features Martha's exclusive tips on topics she's spent years mastering.
2022
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Throughout her entire career, Martha has found ways to make everyday living easier. In January 2022, she stayed true to her legacy and launched Martha CBD—a line of CBD pate de fruit gummies designed to enhance your sleep, relaxation and overall wellness routines.
Martha's CBD Wellness Gummies Will Help You Sleep Better and Alleviate Stress—Shop the Line Here
2022
In June 2022, Martha debuted "The Martha Podcast." On her show, she interviews people from all walks of life, including business icons, old friends, entrepreneurs, artists, and more. Her very first guest during the inaugural episode? Snoop Dogg, of course.
2022
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A major career milestone, Martha opened her first restaurant—The Bedford—in Las Vegas, Nevada in August 2022. Inspired by Martha's famed country farmhouse in Bedford, New York, her restaurant offers seasonal, flavorful dishes that are all filled with locally sourced ingredients.
Martha-Ritas, Snoop Dogg, and Smashed Potatoes with Caviar: We Went to Our Founder's Restaurant Opening in Las Vegas
2023
Martha made history in 2023 when was featured as Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's oldest cover star to date. "When I heard that I was going to be on the cover ofSports Illustrated Swimsuit, I thought,'Oh, that’s pretty good, I’m going to be the oldest person I think ever on a cover ofSports Illustrated,'" Martha said."And I don’t think about age very much, but I thought that this is kind of historic."
Martha Is This Year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Model—See the Stunning Images Here
2023
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In 2023, Martha launched her own storefront on Amazon. Her shop features home and cookware essentials, including knives, pots and pans, bedding, furniture, and more.
2023
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Martha gave fans a closer look into her life as an entrepreneur in her first class on MasterClass—"Think Like a Boss, Live Like a Legend." In the class, Martha takes viewers through a day in her life, from working on the farm to heading into New York City for a day of work.
2024
Martha returned to the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2024. This time, she was featured in a special collectible trilogy of covers for the 2024 60th anniversary issue. In addition to several solo glam shots, Martha was photographed alongside fellow Swimsuit legends, including Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, Tyra Banks, Paulina Porizkova, Winnie Harlow, and others.
2024
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One of Martha's biggest achievements yet—her 100th book hits shelves in November 2023. Martha: The Cookbook features 100 of her very favorite recipes, along with invaluable tips and photos from her private archives.
