What You Never Knew About Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart has made herself known to be America's favorite grandma. From successful entrepreneur to lifestyle mogul, from TV personality to the author of 99 cookbooks, it's hard not to be a fan of this DIY queen. 

While Stewart presents herself with grace and elegance, there's more to her than meets the eye. Aside from her culinary prowess and passion for homemade crafts, none of us truly know how interesting her life is. We may be aware of her time in prison and her adorable friendship with Snoop Dogg, but did you know that she broke a Guinness World Record or that she "accidentally" went on a date with the late Larry King? Don't worry, we didn't either.

America's favorite grandmother may not be as goody-goody as you thought, but she sure is entertaining. There are a slew of surprising facts about Stewart's life that we just have to share. Get ready for some information about Martha Stewart that both fans and non-fans can appreciate.

Martha Stewart is a catch, let's face it. Not only is she a global icon, but she's an intelligent businesswoman, creative craftswoman, and practically a comedian. It's not surprising that many men worship the ground she walks on — what is surprising, however, is that the late Larry King was one of them.

During her appearance alongside fashion designer Christian Siriano on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen," she shared a story about a dinner date she "accidentally" went on with Larry King at Elio's. To her knowledge, this date was nothing more than a chance to pick his brain about journalism. However, things shifted as she noticed that King started to get "a little amorous." As flattered as she may have been, she stated that he was not her type romantically. Although subtle jokes ensued from both Cohen and Siriano, Stewart praised King for his loveable personality, stating that "he was probably (other than Cohen) the nicest, kindest interviewer on TV."

Cohen shockingly added that he'd heard from a reliable source that King was "enormously endowed" (whatever do you mean?). He then asked Stewart if that would've changed her romantic feelings toward King, to which she responded, "No. Absolutely not." Although size does matter to the lifestyle guru, it's not enough to make her think of Larry King as more than just a friend.

Martha Stewart made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she had a segment called "Where's The Lie, Martha?" During the segment, Stewart read aloud two facts and one lie about herself, and DeGeneres had to guess which one was the lie. The choices Stewart gave were:

1. I dated Sir Anthony Hopkins but broke up with him because I couldn't stop thinking of him as Hannibal Lecter.
2. I was asked to host "Saturday Night Live" and my biggest regret is saying no.
3. I have a tattoo of my dog, "Crème Brûlée," on my foot.

DeGeneres confidently chose No. 1 as the lie, stating, "I think you would date him [Sir Anthony Hopkins], but I don't think you'd stop dating him because you couldn't stop thinking of him as Hannibal Lecter." To her, and our, surprise, Stewart revealed that she actually dated the well-known actor. It seems his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of The Lambs" was too realistic, as it caused Stewart to break up with him. 

"I have a big, scary house in Maine that, by itself, is on 100 acres in the forest," she told DeGeneres. "I couldn't even imagine taking Anthony Hopkins there. All I could think of was him eating ... you know."

If you've seen Martha Stewart's Naughty Nurse NFT, you'd know that she doesn't mind getting a little "bloody" on the scariest day of the year. Although she may not enjoy being frightened, she believes that she's the type to scare rather than be scared.

In an interview with BuzzFeed promoting her Halloween special "Snoop & Martha's Very Tasty Halloween," she revealed that she can be somewhat of a prankster. When asked if she's the type to get scared or scare other people, Stewart responded with a story of her pranking a married couple on Halloween. When she was dressed up as what she described as "her car wreck" — which is essentially a costume full of drawn-on scars and fake blood — a random guy approached Stewart to compliment her gory ensemble.

"What're you talking about? I was in a terrible accident a couple of weeks ago," Stewart responded. She said the stranger's wife believed every word of it, and got mad at her husband for assuming it was a costume. "His wife said, 'I told you not to talk to her,'" she told BuzzFeed. "She was so embarrassed that he had said it was a costume because I was such a wreck."

With a life spanning over 81 years, we can assume Martha Stewart has had her fair share of close-to-death moments — and she has. Despite her good fortune, it seems she has dodged death more than any of us would have liked.

Along with revealing her past relationship with Sir Anthony Hopkins, our favorite culinarian spent the earlier half of her segment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show sharing a shocking fact about herself — that she's been struck by lightning three times. Just like before, Stewart gave DeGeneres three options to choose from:

1. I've been struck by lightning three times.
2. I am going to be a shark on the next season of "Shark Tank."
3. I did a headstand on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

DeGeneres, surprisingly, chose No. 1 and No. 3 as truths. After Stewart confirmed that No. 2 was the lie, DeGeneres stated, "I cannot believe that! You've been struck by lightning three times?" Stewart, ever so calmly, said, "Yeah, it's crazy. I think it's actually good for you." When asked about the experience, Stewart recalled two of the instances when she was struck by lightning: once through her water faucet and another time through a skylight in her house. "I just attract electricity," she joked to DeGeneres. "I'm so powerful."

Martha Stewart may love tasty culinary dishes, but some may say she loves animals more. As busy as she is, it's quite surprising how she's able to find the time to manage her 153-acre farm located in Bedford, New York, which is home to a wide range of animals. From flocks of chickens to red canaries, it seems as though Stewart is building an army of her favorite mammal companions. 

What's even more surprising is her collection of peacocks. In defense of her feathered friends, Stewart took to Twitter on May 16, 2021, to correct The New York Post for miscounting the number of peacocks she had. Stewart wrote, "They have a story on peacocks today and say I have 16 on my farm. I actually have 21 of these glorious birds, whose house is impeccable." 

Unfortunately, as of July 23, 2022, Stewart shared a heartfelt Instagram post revealing that six of her peacocks were "devoured in broad daylight by six large and aggressive coyotes." You can find plenty of pictures of her feathered friends (or her other animals) on her Instagram page.

Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg are quite the pair. The two first met in 2008 on "The Martha Stewart Show," where they made mashed potatoes. Since then, the two have hosted a number of programs together. It's safe to say these two get along quite well. 

This pairing may seem odd, but according to a 2011 interview by Refinery29, it actually makes sense. When asked about her interest in rap, Stewart stated, "Well, [I'm] not a really big fan. But I like rap music. They're all cute. Those are cute guys and they're all talented." Although she is a fan of rap music, she's not too fond of every song in the genre. "I think it makes sense, I like the words. Well, not all of them," she told Refinery29. "I like the beat. And during my show, that's what we play during the breaks, and everybody is dancing in their seats and having a great time."

Stewart hasn't shied away from expressing her love toward other rappers besides Snoop Dogg. In fact, rappers LL Cool J, Q-Tip, and Ludacris have made appearances on her TV show to cook delicious meals with the legend herself.

While most of us can relate to struggling actors bussing tables to fund their careers, not many of us can say we modeled for Chanel to make ends meet — let alone babysat for baseball legends such as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Gil McDougald — but Martha Stewart can. Before establishing herself as a successful businesswoman, she was a babysitter. According to her website, her days as a "sitter" date back to her years in high school years, before she attended Barnard College.

On July 31, 2018, the Yankee fan herself attended Yankee Stadium to throw what's known as the first pitch. While she was there, Alfred Santasiere III (senior director of publications for the New York Yankees) got to interview the entrepreneurial tycoon for a segment in the September issue of Yankees Magazine called "5 Minutes with Martha Stewart." During the interview, Stewart revealed that she babysat for several Yankee players during her earlier years in Nutley, New Jersey.

"So many of the Yankees players lived in New Jersey back then, right over the George Washington Bridge," she said. "There was a small group of us in Nutley who were asked to babysit a few of the players' children." Through obtaining this once-in-a-lifetime babysitting gig, Stewart was fortunate enough to meet Gil McDougald and Yogi Berra. "I never got to meet Mickey Mantle," she told Santasiere. "But I was a big fan of his. I followed those guys, and that was a lot of fun."

What better way to commemorate a "hot girl summer" than to take a risqué poolside selfie? On July 21, 2020, Martha Stewart did just that. Our culinary queen took to Instagram to unveil a provocative photo of her coming out of her pool in East Hampton. According to many social media users, Stewart followed proper "thirst trap" etiquette, but she was unaware of that terminology. Nischelle Turner from Entertainment Tonight explained to Stewart the meaning behind a thirst trap, to which Stewart confirmed, "That's definitely a thirst trap."

Although she may not have known what a thirst trap was, she certainly isn't new to the general concept. On February 1, the former model posted a TikTok video promoting the skincare and makeup company, Clé de Peau Beauté (The Key to Skin's Beauty). In the video, you can see her standing in front of her iconic selfie with the caption, "Thirst Trap 101." Stewart referred to her poolside photo as "some of her best work" and graciously shared four ways we could all snap the perfect selfie.

Prison isn't a nice place (obviously). If you've watched any episode of "Beyond Scared Straight," you'd know that to survive within those cells, you must have tough skin. So when Martha Stewart's connection to insider trading landed her inside a prison cell for five months in 2004, fans weren't sure how she'd adjust to the dangerous environment. According to Snoop Dogg, she adjusted just fine.

The lifestyle mogul's best friend appeared alongside actress Anna Faris in an after-show segment on "Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen." During his appearance, the Long Beach native rapper answered some intrusive questions from the audience, such as "which celebrity has the best weed" and what Snoop thought of his portrayal in "Straight Outta Compton." By the end of the segment, an audience member asked Snoop Dogg to share the best "jail story" Martha Stewart has ever told him. "She told me that when she went in there, they told her to put some newspapers on herself to protect her from getting stabbed," he stated. "She was like, 'Why not use my magazines? They're a little bit thicker.'" Talk about gangster!

Martha Stewart has proven herself to be a respected curator of DIY projects, lifestyle tips, and easy-to-follow recipes. From writing, modeling, and hosting, Stewart has built an empire grounded in improving people's lives. As a result, she's accumulated several achievements that show how successful she is as a businesswoman — one of which includes becoming America's first female self-made billionaire in 1999.

Through hard work — and a lot of luck — Stewart became an "instant $1.6 billionaire" after her own company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, went public in 1999. According to her interview in People magazine, those around her were skeptical of this endeavor. "I had opposition, and that kind of opposition to a woman-built business was really outrageous," she told the outlet. "Even my own lawyers were negative about the possibility of success." 

Despite her lawyers' opposing opinions, Stewart went on to create the blueprint for other self-made billionaires like Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian to follow. Stewart proudly stated, "I think I helped so many other women believe in their own ideas and business plans and their own paths to glory. Many other women have built amazing companies and done very well. I think I had a good part in that, without being an overt feminist."

In an interview with Christine Romans from CNN Business, Martha Stewart fielded questions about her successful entrepreneurial ventures with QVC, what made them successful, and how passionate she is about changing people's perceptions of life. Although her goal is to help people "live better," she revealed that being perfect in all areas of life is impossible for most — herself included.

When asked about her opinions of women trying to create the perfect work-life balance, she told Romans that it is "one of the most difficult things to do." Stewart, almost jokingly, said, "It didn't work for me. I thought, 'Oh, I could do that. I could do all of that.'" Offering some insight into the "go-getter" mindset many of us share, Stewart noted that sacrifices have to be made to be successful. "I had to sacrifice a marriage because of the lure of the 'great job,'" she told Romans. "But I don't regret it at all, because what I've done is something bigger and better than just one marriage."

Martha Stewart's 26-year-long marriage to publisher Andrew Stewart ended in 1990. As with most public marriages, their relationship changed due to Martha's success. Given her interview with Romans, this adds a whole new perspective to her tumultuous divorce. Knowing that her attempt to maintain a work-life balance led to her marriage ending in turmoil is heartbreaking, but the result is quite inspiring.

Leave it to the Guinness Book of World Records to acknowledge some of the most bizarre feats one can achieve. For instance, you can find people like Garry Turner, whose elastic-like skin made its way onto the coveted list. In other cases, people can make their way into the Guinness Book of World Records just by having the same name — an achievement Martha Stewart can say she accomplished.

On September 20, 2005, 164 women — all sharing the same name as the domestic diva herself — were in attendance at her daytime TV show "The Martha Stewart Show." According to Stewart, an ad (by the Publisher's Press) granting another Martha Stewart the Creative Excellence in Business Advertising award made her "wonder how many Martha Stewarts are out there." Eager to amass those with the same name, the DIY queen found 164 Martha Stewarts across the world and invited them onto her show. During their appearance, she allowed them to tell their stories, share delicious recipes, and flood the streets of New York City. To conclude the episode, Stuart Claxton from the Guinness Book of World Records announced that Stewart had broken the record for the world's largest gathering of people with the same first and last name, which she celebrated by having a photographer (named Martha Stewart as well) take a picture of her and all the women who helped her acquire this achievement.