Martha Stewart's Career Timeline, From Growing A Media Empire And Serving In Prison To Becoming A Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model (2023)

• Martha Stewart began her career as a model and later became a stockbroker on Wall Street.

• The first issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine was published in 1990.

• Stewart has since built a media empire, despite a brief stint in federal prison in 2005.

From building a media empire to going to jail and learning what the "desire trap" is,Marta Stewarthas gone through a long career path.

Stewart began her career as a model and later became a Wall Street stockbroker.

She has become one of the most famous chefs in the industryflourishing interior and furniture lines, cookbooks, and a media empire with shows like "Martha and Snoop's Breakout Dinner."

Recently, the 81-year-old returned to her modeling roots ascover star of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue- the oldest in the history of writing.

Here is the full timeline of Martha Stewart's expansive career.

Martha Stewart began modeling as a teenager.

Stewartgrew upin the working-class neighborhood of Nutley, New Jersey. She began modeling at the age of 13 and continued to model throughout her studies, helping pay for tuition at Barnard College in New York City.

She worked withcustomers from Unilever to Chanel,telling the 2013 PBS documentary "Makers: Women Who Make America" ​​that she can sometimes earn up to $50 an hour modeling,HuffPost reported.

Before starting her media empire, Stewart worked as a stockbroker in New York in the 1970s.

After graduating in history and architectural history, she worked on Wall Street as an institutional stockbroker.

"Work has taught me so much about what it takes to build a real business, a real company - a meaningful and useful enterprise"Stewart wrote in a 2022 post on her website.

“But it wasn't until after I left Wall Street that I discovered my true entrepreneurial aptitude. I loved the ideas. I loved building. I loved creating. I loved doing things that made everyday life better. And I loved making money doing it."

In 1973, Stewart left her stockbroker career to start her own catering business from her kitchen.

Stewart started the business from her historic farmhouse in Westport, Connecticut and all the food she preparedwas made from scratchaccording to MarthaStewart.com.

The recipes she used at her caterer inspired Stewart to write her first cookbook.

Stewart published her first book, Entertaining, in 1982. She quickly became a huge success.

In 1977, Stewart and her caterer were hired to prepare food for a book launch event.

During the event, Stewart was introduced to Alan Mirken, then head of Crown Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Random House. The two started talking, and Mirken encouraged Stewart to write a cookbook that included recipes she used for her catering events.

After the release of "Entertaining" in 1982,over 625,000 copies were soldin the opinion of the Entrepreneur. The book "was considered unusual at the time because it contained all color photographs."MarthaStewart.com.

Since then, she has published nearly 100 cookbooks.

The first issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine was published in 1990.

Due to its unflagging popularityher cookbooks—she published Martha Stewart's Snacks in 1984 and Weddings in 1987.—in 1990, she signed with Time Publishing Ventures, Inc. to publish Martha Stewart Living magazine.

The magazine's subscriptions quickly grew to over 2 millionand in 1991, Martha Stewart and Time launched Martha Stewart Living as a quarterly magazine.

Soon Time was publishing a monthly issue of Martha Stewart Living.

In 1996, Stewart founded the media conglomerate Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and the following year reportedly borrowed $85 million to fund the acquisition of her magazine.

In 1996, Time magazine named Martha Stewart one of the "25 Most Influential People in America".People magazine listed heras one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World".

Stewart saw the value of owning all of her brands as part of the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia media conglomerate,so she reportedly borrowed $85 million to buy her magazine. The magazine, along with its other products, was overseen by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

When Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public in 1999, she became the first female self-made billionaire in the United States.

On Martha Stewart Living Omnimediaconducted an initial public offering,shares were valued at $18,according to CNN money, but the value of the shares tripled before closing. Stewart's 70% stake in the company was now worth over a billion dollars.

"It was a wonderful day," she saidhe told Insider in 2016. “After the offer was made, I drove down Madison Avenue. I instantly became a $1.6 billion billionaire. It was a great day and I thought, hey… I can buy anything on this street!”

Stewart not only became an instant billionaire, but alsoThe first American self-made billionaire.

"I had a backlash, and that kind of backlash against a business built by women was really outrageous," she saidPeoplein 2020. “Even my lawyers were negative about my ability to succeed. I remember one lawyer sent me an orchid saying, "Oh, you did it. wow. What a surprise ". What garbage this guy is."

Oprah Winfrey, another lifestyle icon,became a billionairejust a few years after Stewart, in 2003.

According toForbesStewart lost her billionaire status in 2001, and in 2002 the value of Stewart's stock in her company "dropped" from $591 million to $162 million, according toABC news.

In 2004, Stewart's reputation suffered when she was convicted of multiple crimes. She spent five months in a minimum security prison followed by five months at home.

In July 2004, Stewart was found guilty of one count of conspiracy, two counts of perjury, and one count of obstruction of agency, andspent five months in a minimum security prison,followed by five months of confinement at home. She was also fined 30,000.

The allegations stemmed from an incident in December 2001: after receiving information that was not publicly available, she sold her ImClone Systems shares a day before their value plummeted, avoiding losingover $45,000, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Prosecutors said she later lied about receiving a tipaccording to an Associated Press report.

In 2017, she called the prison experience "a very, very terrible thing."

“It's not a good experience and it doesn't make you stronger. I was a strong person from the beginning and thank heavens I was. And I can still hold my head up high and know I'm fine"said Katie Couricon the host's podcast in 2017.

Stewart was the butt of jokes on late-night shows such as"Saturday Night Live".

However, her sentence had a surprising financial effect while she was serving her sentence - according to her, she even became a billionaire againForbes. However, the company's stock fell 40% shortly after her firing and she lost the title again.

In 2015, Stewart sold Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which includes her branded products and magazine, to Sequential Brands Group for $353 million.

After the sale, Stewart continued to receive compensation, which in 2017 exceeded $6 million.New York Post Office. Her salary included $406,941 for "non-business" travel, $114,620 for "utility and telecommunications services", and $146,880 for "personal fitness, well-being, beauty and wardrobe".

In 2019, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was sold to Marquee Brands for $215 million.Forbes.

In 2021, Stewart's brands generated approximately $900 million in combined annual retail sales.

Stewart has a hand in a variety of industries, from a brand of CBD gummies to a wine partnership with 19 Crimes and various home accessories, upgrades and furniture lines with department stores like Sears, Kmart, Home Depot and more.

In 2021, Forbes reported that Stewart's brands were attractingapproximately $900 millionin total retail sales per year, and its branded products can already be found in over 70 million households.

Forbeshe also estimated that Stewart's brand of kitchenware, Martha Stewart Kitchen, would bring in as much as $1 billion by 2025.

In 2016, the first season of "Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party" aired. It was a great success for the media empress, who was now recognized by a whole new generation.

Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, featuring recipes tested by famous friends Stewart and Snoop Dogg, debuted in front of 3 million viewers. According toNew York Post OfficeStewart was paid $1 million for the first season of Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party.

In 2022, Stewart opened her own restaurant The Bedford at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The restaurant was criticized for high prices - roast chicken appetizerit costs as much as $90.

Reviews were also mixed, with oneNew York Timesthe reporter writes, "Bedford is decent enough to probably make money for the Paris and Marquee brands, but dull enough to tarnish Mrs. Stewart's reputation for dazzling competence in everything she touches."

In 2020, Stewart caused an online frenzy when she posted a poolside "thirst trap" on Instagram.

Stewart went viral over the summerselfie taken at her home in the Hamptons. The photo showed Stewart in her pool staring at the camera with a stuffy expression on her face, while the caption detailed the construction work at her pool.

"I didn't know what a 'desire trap' was, but now I know," Stewart saidPeople magazineafter the photo went viral. “Now I'm looking for another craving trap. I love doing these promiscuous, provocative things because it's just fun."

Since then, Stewart has posted many selfies on her social media, much to the publicity of her 1.8 million followers.

Stewart is now a millennium darling, gaining a younger following than her brands attracted before.

In 2022, Stewart proved her cultural relevance by appearing with Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian in the episode "The Kardashians" on Hulu.

In this episode, Stewart met up with Jenner and Kardashian, who were clearly excited to meet her. The group had lunch and took some selfies before Stewart left.

"I love Marta Stewart," Kardashian said in a confessionEntertainment tonight. “I love to entertain. I love the organization.

Other famous millennials are also trying to emulate Stewart's seemingly easy housekeeping.

“It's less people, more trees. I want to live this bucolic life," influential and dubbed "New York It Girl"Cory'ego Kennedy'egorecently saidNew York Warehouse. "I want to garden like crazy hipster Martha Stewart."

„the myth of the imprisoned millenniumin an endless cycle of tacky bars, avocado toast and dead ends, it has given way to a thriving group of new homeowners and parents slowly but steadily building wealth." - Insider reporterwritten by Bartie Scottthe trend.

Martha Stewart recently appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2023.

At 81, Stewart is the oldest person to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

The magazine described Stewart as "the very definition of 'influencer' due to the fact thatStewart reaches over 100 million fans every monththrough its magazines, TV shows, books and products.

“I hope this cover inspires you to challenge yourself and try new things, no matter where you are in life. Changing, evolving, and being fearless are really very good things.”Stewart wrotenext to the cover on her Instagram.

Read the original article onInitiate