Martha Stewart claims ‘unfriendly’ Ina Garten stopped communicating when she was incarcerated
Martha Stewart is opening up about her tension with Ina Garten.
Snoop Dogg’s close friend criticized the Barefoot Contessa in a recent profile for The New Yorker, discussing Garten’s career and personal life. Stewart revealed that Garten ceased communication when she entered prison for insider trading in 2004.
“When I was sent off to Alderson Prison, she stopped talking to me,” Stewart shared with The New Yorker in an interview released on Sept. 9. “I found that very upsetting and quite unfriendly.” On the other hand, Garten explained that their friendship faded when Stewart began spending more time at a new house in Bedford, New York.
The lifestyle icon served a well-known five-month sentence after misleading federal investigators about a stock sale. She was released from Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia in March 2005. Following Stewart’s comments to The New Yorker, her publicist and friend, Susan Magrino, sought to clarify that the former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model was “not bitter at all, and there is no feud.”
YSL News has reached out to representatives for both Stewart and Garten for their responses.
The New Yorker article explored the evolution of Stewart and Garten’s relationship. It noted that Stewart used to be a big admirer of Garten’s famous lemon bars from her now-closed specialty food shop in the Hamptons.
Eventually, they built a personal and professional rapport. In 2000, Stewart’s production company created a show for Garten on the Food Network titled “Someone’s in the Kitchen with Ina,” which ultimately never aired.
“I remember mentioning it to my mother, and she asked, ‘Why does she want you?'” Garten recalled. Stewart remarked on Garten’s “widespread appeal.” However, she also hinted at some sarcasm, noting that while she enjoyed the coconut cupcakes, she had never prepared any of Garten’s recipes.
The show “The Barefoot Contessa” premiered in 2002, and according to Stewart, everything shifted two years later. Currently, Garten hosts “Be My Guest,” a Food Network program featuring celebrities for conversations and cooking.
