Martha Stewart admits she had an affair during marriage but ex ‘never knew about’ it

The home and garden guru was married to publisher Andrew Stewart from 1961 until 1990 and they share one daughter together

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Martha Stewart is getting real. 

The lifestyle guru admitted in the trailer of her new Netflix documentary "Martha" that she had an affair during her decades-long marriage to her only husband, Andrew Stewart. 

"Young women, listen to my advice, if you’re married and your husband starts to cheat on you, he’s a piece of s---," the 83-year-old said in the trailer. "Get out of that marriage." 

"Didn’t you have an affair early on?" a producer can be heard saying to the home and garden maven. 

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A split of Martha Stewart and a picture of her with her husband

Martha Stewart married her ex-husband Andrew Stewart in 1961. They divorced in 1990.  (Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Netflix; Arthur Schatz/Getty Images)

"Yeah, but I don’t think Andy ever knew about that," Stewart answered. 

The new documentary covers Stewart’s marriage, her rise in the lifestyle industry and her legal woes

"What does it mean to be the first female self-made billionaire in history?" Stewart asks herself rhetorically at the beginning of the trailer before laughing. 

 She added in the trailer that she was "considered crazy" as her career came together, "but it worked." 

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Martha Stewart with her daughter Alexis

Martha Stewart with her daughter, Alexis.  (Virginia Sherwood/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"I’m strict, and I’m demanding, and I’m all those good things that make a successful person," she added. 

Someone in the trailer said that while those qualities were great for a businessman, Stewart was labeled a "b----."

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"All of that did inspire me tremendously," Stewart admitted of being called a b----. 

"I don’t think Andy ever knew about that."

— Martha Stewart on her affair

Stewart, a former model, worked as a stockbroker and then began a catering business in the 1970s that led to her first cookbook, "Entertaining," in 1982. More cookbooks followed, and she began to make TV appearances. 

Martha Stewart with her husband in 1980

Martha Stewart and then-husband, Andy Stewart, outside their home, in 1980.  (Arthur Schatz/Getty Images)

Her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, published its first issue in the winter of 1990. 

But at the height of her success in 2004, she was charged and found guilty on several counts, including conspiracy, securities fraud and obstruction of justice. She served five months in a minimum security federal prison.

"I was a trophy for these idiots," Stewart claimed in the documentary. "I was dragged into solitary. No food or water. Those prosecutors should have been put in a Cuisinart and turned on high."

Martha Stewart on the Today show

Martha Stewart on the "Today" show in 2008.  (Virginia Sherwood/NBC NewsWire)

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She said that after she got out of prison, she had to "climb out of a hole" professionally, but in her mid-80s, the lifestyle icon continues to stay relevant, from her friendship with Snoop Dogg and posting thirst traps on social media to the continued success of her brand. 

"What is more important? A marriage or a career?" she posited in the documentary. 

Martha Stewart posing with Snoop Dogg

Martha Stewart with Snoop Dogg.  (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

After a producer told her, "You tell me," Stewart answered, "I don’t know." 

"The cookie cutter house and the cookie cutter life was not for me," she said in the trailer. "I could’ve just been a miserable, has-been housewife, but I didn’t let that happen to myself, and I’m so happy I didn’t."

The former couple married in 1961 and divorced in 1990. Their only daughter, Alexis, 59, has followed in her mother’s footsteps as a radio and TV host, including for her mother’s brand. 

Martha Stewart at Sports Illustrated event

Martha Stewart has said that she hasn't spoken to her ex-husband since they divorced. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)

Stewart admitted the divorce was hard for her, in a 2020 interview with People magazine. 

"Getting divorced was a terrible thing for me, because we were the first to divorce in my family," she said. "And that we haven’t spoken since the divorce is even more painful. But I’m very strong, and I’m very motivated to get on with life."

"Martha" is available to stream on Netflix on Oct. 30. 

Authored by Brie Stimson via FoxNews October 10th 2024