Martha Stewart has publicly disagreed with Ina Garten's account of their falling out. During her appearance on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen' on Sunday night, where she was there to support her friend Snoop Dogg, Stewart addressed the ongoing drama. When asked by Andy Cohen if she had read Garten's new memoir 'Be Ready When The Luck Happens,' Stewart admitted to reading the sections that mentioned her. Garten, in her memoir, stated that the friendship waned after she moved to Connecticut while Stewart resided in Bedford, New York.
'She can write whatever she wants,' Stewart commented about the fellow celebrity chef. As Cohen explained Garten's claims to Snoop, Stewart clarified the situation, stating, 'That's not true' regarding the Connecticut move. Snoop Dogg then defended Stewart, saying, 'Martha doesn't fall out with people.'
Stewart revealed that, from her point of view, the friendship ended after she went to jail. Snoop jokingly remarked, 'That's when I stepped in.' Cohen added, 'When one friend goes out the door, another friend comes in the door.'
Stewart had previously discussed the falling out with Garten in an interview with The New Yorker in September. She reiterated that Garten stopped talking to her after her 2004 prison sentence for charges related to conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Stewart expressed that she found this behavior 'extremely distressing and extremely unfriendly.' Garten, however, has 'firmly' disputed Stewart's version of events.
Stewart's publicist, Susan Magrino, emphasized that her client is 'not bitter at all' about the fallout with Garten, and there is 'no feud.' The two met in the early '90s when Stewart visited Garten's now-closed Barefoot Contessa shop in East Hampton, New York. Garten recalled in a 2017 TIME interview that they ended up doing benefits together and became friends.
Stewart played a significant role in Garten's career, featuring her on a 1999 episode of 'Martha Stewart Living,' introducing her to an editor who collaborated on her debut cookbook, 'The Barefoot Contessa,' and writing the foreword for that book. Despite Garten's praise for Stewart, she has never agreed that their friendship ended when Stewart was incarcerated.
In 2004, Stewart was sent to Alderson Federal Prison Camp after being convicted of conspiracy, obstruction, and two counts of lying to federal investigators. Although she was also accused of securities fraud, a jury found her not guilty on that charge. Stewart was released from prison after five months and made a remarkable career comeback.
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