Martha Stewart is one of our favorite TV personalities, and we always love to hear more about her personal life and understand how she became the successful woman she is today. From insider trading to a deep friendship with Snoop Dogg, Stewart is full of surprises. Fortunately for all the Martha Stewart fans out there, a documentary about her life story is coming to Netflix!
Martha Stewart Documentary
The documentary will be directed by R.J. Cutler, who also directed Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry. The project will be "an untitled documentary feature about the life and times of Martha Stewart."
We all love a self-made success, and that's exactly what Martha Stewart is, starting off as a babysitter and becoming the first female billionaire in America. Although specific details about what the documentary will cover haven't been revealed, Variety released that it'll show her life before she rose to fame.
Martha Stewart's Many Successes
Martha Stewart, born to Polish mother Martha Kostyra, is famous for being an American businesswoman, writer, and TV personality. Martha Stewart was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but grew up in Nutley, New Jersey. When she was 10 years old, she began babysitting for the children of various New York Yankees, and then, at 15 she began modeling. Stewart was in a television commercial for Unilever, which led her to appear in other commercials and in magazines throughout her modeling career.
Stewart continued modeling to help pay her college tuition. After graduating from Nutley High School, she attended Barnard College of Columbia University, graduating with a double major in history and architectural history. During this time, Martha Stewart met ex-husband Andrew Stewart, a man with whom she would later have one daughter, named Alexis. After he finished his law degree at Yale Law School, they got married, and she then returned to college to finish her degree.
After modeling, Martha Stewart became a stockbroker at a small Wall Street firm, which was her father-in-law's profession. She and Andrew eventually moved to Westport, Connecticut and restored an 1805 farmhouse on Turkey Hill. Little did they know that this would eventually become the model for the TV studio for Martha Stewart Living magazine.
Martha Stewart then began a catering business with a friend. Meanwhile, her husband Andrew was rising to success, becoming the president of a prominent New York City publisher. When Andrew Stewart hosted a book release party, he contracted his wife's catering company to provide the food, a move that would catapult Stewart into writing her first book, Entertaining.
Stewart's Writing and Television Career
She then released many more books, like Martha Stewart's Quick Cook, Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres, Martha Stewart's Christmas, and many more newspaper columns and pieces on homemaking and entertaining. Martha Stewart's Cookies was on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Along with writing a plethora of books and articles, Martha Stewart began a half-hour television program called Martha Stewart Living, based on her magazine. She also was on numerous TV shows like NBC's Today Show. To add to her list of accomplishments, she eventually created her own business, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO), which went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Along with being on television shows, writing nearly 100 books, and owning her own business, Martha Stewart sold furniture, towels, and other home decor through Kmart. When asked about her inspirations and influences, Stewart lists her mother, father and grandparents, along with Julia Child, who she paid tribute to in a PBS series.
Watch the Documentary to Learn More!
The documentary will include real-life details of how Stewart managed to become so successful in so many areas, along with focusing on the growth of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. It will also presumably cover her 2004 prison sentence, when she was convicted for obstruction of justice, making false statements to federal investigators, and conspiracy.
Cutler has been nominated for multiple Emmys, and his first film was nominated for an Academy Award. He will produce it along with Trevor Smith, Jane Cha Cutler, and Alina Cho. We can't wait for more of an inside look into Martha Stewart's personal life and rise to fame!
