Love her or hate her, one thing is for sure about Martha Stewart: Most everyone knows who she is. And after all, it’s not in every lifetime you can be known as the ultimate homemaker, do jail time, and hang out with Snoop Dogg on the regular.

Martha Stewart’s net worth may not be in the billions at the moment, but the 82-year-old has walked an illustrious path to get to where she is today. From her humble beginnings in New Jersey as one of six children to working-class parents to founding her own domestic empire, Stewart is truly an icon in more ways than one.

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What is Martha Stewart’s net worth?

While Stewart certainly was a billionaire at the time Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public in 1999, her net worth has fallen since then and is estimated by multiple sources to be around $400 million as of early 2024. 

Stewart sold off Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2025 to Sequential Brands Group for $353 million. That said, her many branding deals and countless cookbook sales ought to keep the queen of the kitchen comfortable for the rest of her days.

Martha Stewart’s career

Born in 1941 in Jersey City to parents Edward and Martha Kostyra, Stewart started modeling at age 15 and contracted with Ford Models, appearing in commercials and ads for Unilever, Tareyton, and Chanel. In interviews, Stewart said the money she made from modeling helped to fund her college tuition when she attended Barnard College of Columbia University.

In the late ’60s, Stewart decided to try her hand at a new business: catering. While originally conceived as a business partnership with fellow model Norma Collier, it did not go as planned, and Stewart bought out Collier’s portion of the business and went forward on her own. After a fortuitous meeting with a friend of her father’s at a party, Stewart met then-head of Crown Publishing Group Alan Mirken. With his help, Stewart’s first cookbook, “Entertaining,” was published in 1982, written by ghostwriter Elizabeth Hawes.

The success of “Entertaining” propelled Stewart’s career forward, followed by a slew of titles aimed at cooks and homemakers on everything from setting the table to making picture-perfect desserts. 

Stewart also began to appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and other talk shows. In 1990, Time Publishing Ventures offered Stewart a deal to publish “Martha Stewart Living,” which went on to run for 32 years and was considered the definitive home magazine by many. Stewart also created an offshoot TV show by the same name, which ran from 1993 to 2004.

In 1997, Stewart founded a new company that housed all of the brands she’d created up to that point. Called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Stewart held the roles of chairwoman, president, and CEO of this empire. When it went public in 1999, it made Stewart a billionaire, the first woman in the United States to hold that title.

The cookbook queen continues to come out with new books, and her 100th cookbook is due out at the end of 2024.

Why did Martha Stewart go to federal prison?

Stewart famously served time in prison in Alderson, W. Va, from Oct. 8, 2004, to March 4, 2005, after her broker Peter Bacanovic shared nonpublic information with her about an upcoming drop in ImClone Systems stock. Stewart promptly sold all of her shares, avoiding a loss of more than $45,000. 

Stewart’s original charge of securities fraud was thrown out, but she was subsequently convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators, resulting in her brief stint in federal prison.

Stewart was indicted by a grand jury on nine counts and required to pay a $30,000 fine, as well as agreeing to a five-year ban from serving as the CFO, CEO, or director of any public company. She was also required to serve a two-year term of supervised release, with five of those months in home confinement.

Stewart wasted no time in making her comeback after her release, returning to “The Martha Stewart Show” and releasing a new book titled “The Martha Rules.” Since that time, Stewart has launched a vast number of partnerships, including Martha Stewart-branded homes sold by KB Home, a wine brand with E& J Gallo Winery, a craft line with Walmart called Martha Stewart Celebrate, and a Martha Stewart-branded eBay store with a focus on highlighting American vendors.

Her most recent ventures include a CBD gummy line with cannabis company Canopy Growth, as well as a new podcast, “The Martha Stewart Podcast,” on I Heart Radio. Naturally, Stewart’s longtime friend Snoop Dogg was her guest on the first episode.

Stewart’s iconic Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover shoot

Stewart made history yet again when she appeared as the cover model of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. At 81, she was the oldest model to ever appear on the magazine’s cover. The issue was immensely popular, with many publicly recognizing and lauding Stewart for the appearance.

Disclaimer: The Arena Group, which operated Sports Illustrated during the release of 2023’s Swimsuit Edition, also owns and operates TheStreet.