Domestic maven Martha Stewart said that her stint in prison for insider trading led to the downfall of her friendship with celebrity chef Ina Garten, but Garten said otherwise.
In a New Yorker piece profiling Garten, the former star of the cooking show “Barefoot Contessa” said that she and Martha Stewart drifted apart after Stewart starting spending most of her time at her newer house in Bedford, NY. But Stewart sees it differently, saying that Garten stopped talking to her after she was “sent off to Alderson prison.” Stewart said she “found that extremely distressing and extremely unfriendly.”
Martha Stewart began her career as a model and then turned herself into a bestselling brand name in domestic style. She has sold household products like kitchenware and bedsheets under her name, numerous cookbooks, and she has hosted numerous cooking shows.
Ina Garten is a popular television chef who starred in her cooking series Barefoot Contessa from 2002 to 2021. The show was named after Garten’s retail store where she and Stewart first met. Stewart visited the store in East Hampton, New York, in the 1990s. Recalling that visit, Garten said she was sitting at her desk in front of the cheese display and the two ended up chatting with each other.
After that, she said, she and Stewart “ended up actually doing benefits together” at Stewart’s house with Garten providing the catering, and that sparked their friendship.
This was great for Garten’s career, as Stewart put her in touch with a book editor who helped her launch her debut cookbook “The Barefoot Contessa.” In 1999, Garten was a guest on Stewart’s show “Martha Stewart Living.” A few years later Garten went on to star in her own highly successful cooking show.
In 2004 Martha Stewart was found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction in connection to allegations of insider stock trading. She was given five months in prison, followed by another five months of house arrest and two years of probation.
Although displeased at the end of the friendship, Stewart said she is not feuding with Garten.
