Martha Stewart's Parenting Instincts Left Something To Be Desired, According To Her Daughter

Netflix released a documentary focusing on TV personality Martha Stewart in October 2024. Entitled "Martha," the doc features interviews with Stewart, chronicling her rise to fame in the '90s, her 2004 prison sentence, and subsequent return to the spotlight in 2005. While the doc revealed many details her fans likely did not know, it's Stewart's relationship with her daughter Alexis that may be the most surprising.

In the doc, Alexis said that her mother was "always a bit chilly," and that she "grew up in a very uncomfortable house," per Hello! Magazine. That house also included Martha's then-husband Andy. Martha admitted to People that the couple had extramarital affairs during their relationship. But while her parents' marriage was strained, it was Alexis who dealt with the consequences. "I learned to suppress most of my emotions," she revealed in the doc. However, the issues Alexis faced growing up paled in comparison to the problems that Martha endured during her own troubled childhood.

According to the Martha Stewart documentary, her home life was tough. She referred to her father as an abusive and unhappy man, who would often take out his frustrations on his family. While Martha and her brothers dealt with that situation growing up, the problems continued for her later. When a 19-year-old Martha told her father about her engagement in 1961, he responded by slapping her. "You're not marrying him," he said (via USA Today). "He's a Jew." Despite her father's objection, Martha moved forward with the wedding, and Alexis Stewart was born four years later.

In addition to the Netflix doc, Alexis previously shared details about Martha's parenting style in her 2011 book. "Whateverland: Learning to Live Here" revealed that Martha was distant toward her daughter. Martha had a "hands-off approach," per People, and if Alexis didn't do something perfectly, she'd have to do it again.

Despite the cold relationship, Alexis followed Martha's footsteps into the entertainment industry. She co-hosted "Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer" on both Sirius Radio and the Hallmark Channel.