Martha Stewart was America's first self-made female billionaire. Here's how she makes and spends her fortune.

Erin McDowellNov 6, 2024, 23:27 IST

Martha Stewart was the first self-made female billionaire in America.Cindy Ord/Getty Images for iHeartRadio

Before she started a media empire, Martha Stewart worked as a stockbroker in New York City.
In 1999, Stewart became the first self-made female billionaire in the United States.

Martha Stewart has been called the "original influencer" thanks to her decades in the public eye and immense entrepreneurial success.

In the early 1980s, Stewart built a sprawling empire that would come to span home décor, her own magazine, television, and a line of cooking and entertaining books, becoming one of America's most famous self-made women. A master of entertaining, Stewart's brand embodied perfection and attention to detail, an image that came crashing down when she was sentenced to five months in jail after an alleged insider trading scandal.

Martha Stewart's rise from caterer to billionaire media mogul is now featured in the Netflix documentary "Martha," which explores her life, fame, and business prowess.

Here's how Martha Stewart built, partially lost, and rebuilt her fortune over the years.

Before she started a media empire, Martha Stewart worked as a model and later as a stockbroker in New York City.

Martha Stewart on her commute in the 1970s.Courtesy Martha Stewart

Martha published her first book, "Entertaining," in 1982. It quickly became a smashing success.

Martha Stewart has published almost 100 cookbooks.Rob Kim/Getty Images

In 1997, Stewart borrowed $85 million to finance the acquisition of her magazine.

The first edition of Martha Stewart Living magazine was published more than 30 years ago.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images

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

Martha Stewart ringing the opening bell to begin trading at the New York Stock Exchange on October 19, 1999.HENNY RAY ABRAMS/AFP/Getty Images

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

Martha Stewart in 2022.Eric Liebowitz/Getty Images

Martha Stewart lost her billionaire status in 2002 after the price of her company's stock plummeted following a stock-trading scandal.

Martha Stewart leaving Manhattan Federal Court after she was sentenced to prison in 2004.New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Over the years, Stewart has made a fortune from her many business ventures.

Martha Stewart with Mark A. Cohen, former chairman and CEO of Sears Canada, in 2003.Don MacKinnon/Getty Images

Stewart has also starred in popular television shows, from "The Martha Stewart Show" to "Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party."

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart in 2017.Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage

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

Martha Stewart and The Bedford team members at the grand opening of The Bedford by Martha Stewart at the Paris Las Vegas.Denise Truscello/Getty Images

Martha Stewart has a real-estate portfolio worth millions of dollars.

Martha Stewart's home in Bedford, Westchester County, New York.Robert Rosamilio/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Stewart and her then-husband bought their first house together for $80,750 in 1970. Decades later, it sold for $6.7 million.

Exterior view of businesswoman Martha Stewart's home in Westport, Connecticut, August 1976.Susan Wood/Getty Images

She sold her East Hamptons home on Lily Pond Lane for $16.5 million in 2021.

Martha Stewart's weekend home on Lilly Pond Lane in East Hampton, New York.John Roca/NY Daily News/Getty Images

Stewart raises peacocks, chickens, cows, geese, miniature donkeys, pigeons, and horses on her farm in Bedford.

Martha Stewart feeding a horse in 2011.Peter Kramer/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty Images

Though she's no longer a billionaire, Martha Stewart continues to live a very luxurious life.

Martha Stewart in 2018.Rich Fury/Getty Images

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