Famous People Martha Stewart Can't Stand
Martha Stewart is more than just a celebrity chef and domestic goddess –– she's a new-wave baddie in a generation of Karens, making crafts and dried flower arrangements one minute and talking about edibles and CBD topicals the next. Stewart is no stranger to controversy and cancel culture, embracing good and bad publicity equally. Most people remember Stewart's stint in prison back in 2004 for "obstructing justice and lying to investigators" (per CNN Money), further painting the drama-mentary picture of a homemaker turned felon. However, her time in prison doesn't define her but enhances a life-long juxtaposition that she isn't shy to embrace.
Similarly, Stewart isn't afraid to stick it to the man or call out other celebrities and chefs with her classic roasts and quippy comebacks. Her celebrity feuds are like her cooking shows –– some have lasted for what seems like years while others have burned hot and fizzled out as quickly as they came. Nevertheless, Stewart holds grudges and has no qualms about politely mocking you with a hot glue gun and whisk in hand.
Gwyenth Paltrow
One could write a book based on the decade-long archnemesis rivalry between Gwyenth Paltrow and Martha Stewart. It all started in 2013 when Stewart was asked for her opinion of Paltrow's lifestyle brand Goop on Bloomberg TV. Stewart delivered her usual passive-aggressive platitudes to stroke her girl-boss ego.
The floodgates didn't open up until the fall of 2014 when Stewart expressed in a Porter Magazine interview that "Paltrow needs to be quiet [...] If she were confident in her acting, she wouldn't be trying to be the next Martha Stewart," (via Page Six). Paltrow fueled the fires more by saying, "I'm so psyched that she sees us as competition" at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit. Game, set, match.
Shortly after, Stewart released a food spread in her magazine titled "Conscious Coupling," in response to the term conscious uncoupling coined by Paltrow to describe her public divorce from Chris Martin (via US Magazine). Paltrow threw it right back in Stewart's face by publishing a recipe on Goop the next month called "Jailbird Cake."
A few years later on "Watch What Happens Live," Andy Cohen asked if Stewart was happy about recent rumors regarding false health claims made by Goop's products. Stewart jokingly replied, "Who's Goop?" before rejecting the gossip on the notion that Paltrow was "a good girl" (via Bravo TV). Even though the feud seems to have fizzled, it lives in infamy as one of the most public displays of celebrity shadiness and pettiness.
Ina Garten
Ina Garten is arguably one of the biggest queens in the home cooking and party-throwing game, with local market montages, extravagantly simple house parties, and a passel of exuberant friends. Even her style is all her own, from the signature popped collar to swoopy bangs and everlasting shoulder-length bob. Therefore, it makes sense that two of the biggest names in home-making and no-bull taking entered into a small feud.
What started it all was an Instagram post by Reese Witherspoon documenting her super healthy pandemic morning rituals. Being the relatable gem that she is, Garten commented with a version of her own rituals which included drinking more cosmos, staying up late to watch good TV, doing Sudokus in bed, and spending time with people you love (via People). We know Garten loves her weekly cosmo, and she even dropped her signature jumbo cosmo recipe in an Instagram video on April Fool's Day of 2020.
Stewart was not thrilled with Garten's lighthearted comment and told People, "I do not agree about taking to drink to cope with things like the pandemic," describing it as "not charming." Despite the fact that Stewart has her own Chardonnay in the 19 Crimes Wine Collection, she is not a big drinker and prefers just a glass or two of wine occasionally. Garten maintained poise, however, and didn't clap back at Stewart. In 2017, she even credited the lifestyle mogul for her role in enhancing the value of home arts (via Entertainment Weekly).
Piper Kerman
The real-life "Orange Is The New Black" star, Piper Kerman, is the author of the hit Netflix show that tells the true story of her prison time in a women's correctional facility. Kerman and Stewart have more in common than time served in prison — in fact, Stewart requested to serve her sentence at the same facility in Danbury, Connecticut (via Insider), though she ultimately ended up in a West Virginia prison.
Despite this bonding experience, Stewart wasn't a fan of the hit show that millions of others loved. She told Porter magazine that the actress that played Piper was not good enough, especially since she had met the real Piper (via Page Six). The tipping point though was the introduction of the Martha Stewart-inspired character, Judy King, in the show's third season, according to Time. Even though the two didn't know each other during their prison sentence, the show took creative inspiration from Stewart's larger-than-life personality and sprinkled it with a bit of Paula Deen. When Stewart was asked about the show's new character, she merely commented, "I'll look at it."
Meanwhile, on her talk show, Chelsea Handler inquired whether Stewart watched OITNB. Stewart revealed that she had never seen it, explaining, "I experienced the real thing [...] the real characters are better" (via Vanity Fair).
Rachael Ray
With her best-selling cookbooks and lifestyle magazine, Rachael Ray has been charming people with her successful daytime cooking program and other Food Network appearances. However, not everyone is attracted by Ray's bubbly personality and delicious recipes.
Stewart dissed Ray on "Nightline" in more ways than one, taking a dig at her newest cookbook and calling it a "re-edit of a lot of her older recipes" (via ABC News). Stewart also dragged Ray's baking skills through the mud, saying, "she's more of an entertainer [...] than she is a teacher, like me." Even though Stewart's comments were harsh, E News was convinced that she was mostly responding to the interviewer's bait.
To contrast her harsh statements, Stewart went on to say that there were "no bad feelings" between them, adding, "I applaud Rachael for her enthusiastic approach to cooking" (via ABC News). Meanwhile, when Ray was asked to comment on the feud, she responded that Stewart was just being honest given her superior skills, adding "I'd rather eat Stewart's [food] than mine, too." We love a confident and realistic queen.
Donald Trump
Before Donald Trump raced for the presidency, he went head-to-head with Martha Stewart for a spot as sole host of "The Apprentice." In 2005, Stewart hosted her own version of "The Apprentice" that aired alongside Trump's version. Stewart told Newsweek that both shows were not supposed to air at the same time, calling it "unfair" and saying that her show premiere was supposed to start out by firing Trump as host.
However, the jabs didn't stop there. Trump wrote a public letter to Stewart going on a tirade about her show and accusing her of lying about her supposed on-air firing as she had lied to investigators before going to prison (via CNN Money). Trump continued to bash her performance, emphasizing, "I knew it would fail as soon as I first saw it."
Despite Stewart's show getting cut after the first season, the biggest blow was the "mean-spirited and reckless" words that her longtime friend had said (via TODAY). The feud remained strong and bitter for years after, until Stewart reached out to Ivanka Trump after Trump won the 2016 presidential election. Even though she never reached out to the man himself, she knows that having the president as your nemesis never works in your favor (per Food & Wine).
Antoni Porowski
It's hard not to smile when watching Antoni Porowski on "Queer Eye" with his larger-than-life expressions and humble persona. However, after the tiff that ignited on social media between Porowski and Stewart, we are kind of on team Martha. It all began when Porowski started posting pictures from Stewart's exclusive 2019 Christmas party on Instagram, including pictures of her pets, horses, and her estate — without tagging her.
Now, it does seem like small potatoes in comparison to other arguments but Stewart was not happy, citing that he could have tagged her since he had so many followers compared to her and he "ate her Christmas cookies" (via Glamour). He eventually issued an apology on his Instagram story, admitting that he would do better (via PAPER Mag).
The two spoke in a video call posted on Instagram, in which Stewart remarked, "I think we started a social media feud which was not the point," and eventually clapped back that she was more offended that he didn't send a thank you note, which is definitely a cause for ridicule from the etiquette queen.
Bethenny Frankel
The world knows and loves Bethenny Frankel as "Real Housewives of New York" royalty and the creator of the infamous Skinnygirl drink line. Before her big break on Bravo TV, Frankel competed on Martha Stewart's edition of "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2005. However, sparks didn't fly between the two, and Frankel told The New York Times that Stewart ridiculed her on the show by calling her a "show-off" and faulting her for needing "to make a physical impression."
This isn't the only time Stewart ripped into Frankel; in an interview on Frankel's TV talk show "Bethenny," Stewart bluntly explained that Frankel didn't win her season of "Celebrity Apprentice" because she was an unlikable "pest" (via YouTube). Even though Frankel became a successful TV personality and entrepreneur after the show, Stewart found ways to criticize her by calling her line of Skinnygirl drinks horrible (via The Daily Meal).
Frankel eventually shed light on their feud on the "Late Night with Seth Meyers," explaining how Stewart never liked her, but "she's consistent [...] she's always been like a parent that I'm always trying to get them to love me" (via YouTube). Frankel added that Stewart had missed her second calling as a "Housewife" star given her gift of drama.
Felicity Huffman
Felicity Huffman and Martha Stewart have more in common than their celebrity status. Known for her role in "Desperate Housewives," Huffman was thrust into the spotlight amid the 2019 college admissions scandal (via The Guardian). Huffman was accused of bribery and fraud after it was revealed that the actress had paid a third party disguised as a fake charity to inflate her daughter's SAT scores. Huffman plead guilty and served 14 days in prison in addition to 250 hours of community service and a year of supervised release (via Town & Country).
Despite having experienced one of the worst outcomes possible, Stewart managed to find a sliver of humor to throw shade at Huffman. When Stewart was asked at a Vanity Fair event if Huffman had learned anything in prison, Stewart offered fashion advice, suggesting that "she should style her [prison] outfit a little bit more." She also referred to Huffman as "schlumpy" and concluded that the actress "made a horrible mistake and she's experiencing what happens." Even though Stewart served five months in prison and described her experience as "horrifying," she still holds people accountable and is ready to throw a quick jab in for good measure (via People).
Oprah Winfrey
Behind a powerful woman lies an equally powerful frenemy –– one you don't necessarily want to see fail, but who is always one step behind or ahead of you. Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart are just that, according to a Forbes expose. Both are powerful and successful women who have followed similar strategies toward success by having larger-than-life personalities, TV shows, and magazine publications. Their relationship has always been seen as a friendly rivalry until Stewart appeared on Winfrey's show in 2010 and words turned into knives.
On the show, Stewart and Winfrey discussed heavy topics like Stewart's time in prison, which included visits from many friends and celebrities like Rosie O'Donnell. Pondering why Winfrey never visited her, Stewart commented "I knew you were too busy," just to twist the sword a little deeper. Winfrey followed by asking if Stewart had received her letters in prison, to which the lifestyle queen responded, "I got little notes wishing me well," followed by a curt thank you (via Insider).
Although Stewart still held resentment toward Winfrey for her absence during that time, they seem to have returned to the cordial nemesis aspect of their relationship. Stewart even posted a throwback photo of the two together on Instagram. It seems that their tiff resolves the way many do –– with time and mutual lingering resentment.
Jonathan Cheban
Even though he isn't an A-list celebrity like his famous friends, Jonathan Cheban was in the spotlight of Stewart's shade at a dinner party in Cannes back in 2016 (via Refinery 29). For those who also aren't familiar with Cheban, he was the Kardashian's best friend and made regular appearances on their reality TV show over the years. Now, he legally goes by the name Foodgod and has rebranded himself as a household name on social media by eating out literally every day, playing food blogger, and chronicling it to his millions of followers (via Gotham Magazine).
However, in 2016, he was still the Kardashian's sidekick, and Stewart didn't appear to have binge-watched the reality show in her spare time. She was seated next to Cheban at dinner and did what all people do when they don't know someone –– she asked Twitter. Stewart later tweeted a better picture after discovering his identity, still not completely reassured that his fame was as inflated as he claimed. It just goes to show that if you try to make yourself look as famous as Martha Stewart, chances are you aren't that famous.
Jack in the Box's mascot
Stewart is not one to hide her feelings. When rivaled against a fast food giant like Jack in the Box, she came out guns blazing with her hands metaphorically swinging. Even though this feud was fueled by well-thought-out marketing and comedic jabs, her on-air tiff with Jack in the Box's mascot had fans picking sides and racing to get their chicken sandwich fix.
It all started with a 2018 Super Bowl commercial chronicling what resembled an episode of Stewart's own daytime TV show setup on how to make a banh mi-inspired chicken sandwich. Upon showing off the final product, she remarked that "you'd never find this at a fast food restaurant," a dig at Jack in the Box's Asian fried chicken sandwich. The beef began when the restaurant's mascot stormed the set of the fake cooking show to settle who had the best chicken sandwich, consequently initiating a heated Twitter war.
Oh, but Martha can play that game too. She took to Twitter shortly after to throw shade right back at Jack, with multiple tweets expressing all the ways she would be avoiding the newest fast food chicken sandwich. A profanity-laced needlepoint sampler, a voodoo-style Jack in the Box doll tutorial, and a video of Stewart punching a cardboard cutout of Jack with knitted boxing gloves made her message loud and clear. Things seemed to fizzle out after the commercial aired, but the staged mystery of the best Asian chicken sandwich remains unsolved.
Blake Lively
It's hard to imagine being mean to Blake Lively due to her sheer lovability and bubbly persona. Surprisingly, the "Gossip Girl" star and Stewart have a healthy real-life friendship that extends past just being neighbors (via E News). However, that doesn't mean that their relationship is without tiffs and occasional tension.
Things began to hit the fan in 2014 when Lively decided to launch a Martha Stewart-type blog called Preserve, filled with how-tos and a place where users could be connected with crafty content creators. When Stewart was interviewed by HuffPost about the rival wellness brand, Stewart rebuked by commenting "Let her try,” being sure to specify, "I don't mean that facetiously." She then quickly added that "It's stupid, she could be an actress! Why would you want to be me if you could be an actress? [...] I want to be Blake Lively."
This isn't the first time Stewart has had a problem with actresses stepping too far into her domestic hand-crafted lane (cough cough Goop). Nevertheless, Lively has always been one of Stewart's number one fans and responded to the remarks with her usual sweet and respectful demeanor. Lively told E News in an interview, "I want to have my own path professionally," as both an entrepreneur and an actress. Their friendship seemed to be rekindled when the two appeared on a panel for Stewart's American Made event in 2014 (via E News), but Lively eventually shut down her blog in 2015 (via Vogue).
Sheryl Sandberg
As a writer and entrepreneur, Sheryl Sandberg is a modern-day feminist icon. Sandberg served as the chief operating officer at Meta (formerly known as Facebook) from 2008 to 2022 and is one of the wealthiest self-made women in America (via Forbes). Her 2013 book "Lean In" is an eye-opening look into women in the workforce that provides advice on overcoming gender differences. The book was widely acclaimed and criticized, especially by the queen of criticism herself.
When Stewart was asked about the book in an interview, she said that women place excessive focus on fighting workplace barriers. She remarked, "Isn't 'leaning in' spending a lot of time?" She went on to state, "I think being entrepreneurial is something women should strive for, rather than working up the corporate ladder" (via Page Six).
Stewart's response is no surprise given her previously expressed views on modern-day feminism. In a 2010 interview with The New York Times Magazine, she noted that she did not consider herself to be a feminist, nor did she spend time contemplating obstacles. Instead, her focus has always been on developing "original ideas" involving her brand. Sandberg never clapped back at Stewart, and they probably harbor a mutual dislike for being each other's most annoying girl boss persona.