Martha Stewart recently said that her magazine was the first to include a recipe for one-pot pasta. Her recipe/method is not much different than the method the Duchess of Sussex used in an episode of With Love, Meghan. Granted, I doubt Meghan OR Martha truly “invented” one-pot pasta dishes, and I believe that both women are just adapting the concept/recipe for themselves and their audiences. I bring this up because Martha has been paying attention to Meghan’s entrance into the lifestyle industry, and Martha had some pointed words in a recent interview:
An entire industry was born, and at the very beginning, it was Martha Stewart who lit the flame. She walked so the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Nigella Lawson, and Lauren Conrad could run.
And this year, another famous face has been trying to carve her way into the industry, hoping to trailblaze from her own unique starting point. Meghan Markle truly set her intentions in motion when With Love, Meghan hit Netflix screens in March, and she continues to push her lifestyle influence through As ever, selling products online “inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing”.
So what does Martha think of Meghan? Yahoo Lifestyle asked her. While discussing her upcoming project in Australia, Martha revealed what she thought of Meghan’s unapologetic attempts to be involved in lifestyle influencing, pointing to one important quality required when trying to relate to audiences.
“Meghan, I don’t really know very well, and I hope she knows what she’s talking about,” Martha told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“Authenticity, to me, is everything, and to be authentic and knowledgeable about your subject matter is extremely important,” she said. However, she was full of praise for Gwyneth Paltrow.
“Gwyneth has been very successful; she created quite an interesting body of businesses. She’s admired. She won an Oscar for heaven’s sake as an actress! She’s pretty powerful.”
Ultimately, she signed off with a five-word message to her successors: “I don’t mind. Good luck.”
I’ve been around long enough to remember a time when Martha had harsh words for Gwyneth and Goop. If you ask me, I think Martha felt more threatened by Gwyneth’s encroachment in her icy-blonde WASP territory. But I also think that over time, Martha understood that Gwyneth really is doing her own thing, especially with Goop’s focus on pseudoscience and “wellness.” If anything, Meghan is doing a more traditional “lifestyle” brand and a more Martha-esque entertaining show. Anyway, while these quotes are being promoted as “Martha bad-mouthes Meghan,” I’m choosing to take Martha’s quotes as something like advice. She’s telling Meghan to be knowledgeable, to actually provide good advice and recipes, and to be authentic.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix.
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- 9/6/24, New York, New York, United States Martha Stewart during Libertine Spring 2025 collection, held during NYFW at the Elizabeth Street Gallery in New York City, Friday September 6th, 2024.,Image: 905451476, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com/Avalon
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- 9/6/24, New York, New York, United States Martha Stewart during Libertine Spring 2025 collection, held during NYFW at the Elizabeth Street Gallery in New York City, Friday September 6th, 2024.,Image: 905451506, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Jennifer Graylock-Graylock.com / Avalon
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- NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 29: Martha Stewart at the 2024 WWD Honors at Cipriani South Street in New York City on October 29, 2024. Copyright: xMediaPunchx,Image: 928224901, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/MediaPunch/Avalon
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- NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 29: Martha Stewart at the 2024 WWD Honors at Cipriani South Street in New York City on October 29, 2024. Copyright: xMediaPunchx,Image: 928274725, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/mpi099/Avalon
Gwyneth is not powerful and imo she did not deserve the Oscar. She gave better performances in films including sliding doors. Martha is making a huge mistake getting snippy about Meghan. Not a good thing to be admired by derangers
…Especially because her category was STACKED that year. To Goop’s credit though, I had never seen Shakespeare in Love until recently and I was absolutely charmed, and Gwyneth is really great in it. I see why she got nominated, not sure she deserved to win though.
She is not in the she deserved the Oscar category. Shakespeare in love had studio backing. It should not have gotten best picture. Saving private Ryan should have. Gwyneth was better in other movies.
The thing is, Meghan is authentic, authentically Californian, authentically aspirational and not attempting to pretend to be something she isn’t. In other words, she’s the opposite of Goop and Martha Kostyra, who are both selling icy, WASPy, UES & Connecticut personas that are pretty inauthentic since they are both a couple of social climbers—a pair of Bertha Russells, if you will. Gate-keeping snobs are always most the insecure people around because they don’t have much of a background.
And Meghan is likeable, barring the haters. She relates well to people from all walks of life as shown by all the groups she worked with in Britain
@ELX maybe you aren’t old enough to remember Martha’s first show was on PBS and her first product line was at K-Mart because she believed luxury should be accessible for everyone. She wasn’t thrilled when actresses like Goop started moving into the lifestyle space, because she was recently released from prison and was a bit uncertain if she could recapture her market. Her fears were needless and she remained the OG. She is giving advice because others have tried and failed (Blake Lively) to do what Meghan is doing.
Actually this is recycled. She made these comments when asked and before Meghan even was s launched on Netflix. Summer silly season for a tabloid and online press starved for content.
Okay so I wasn’t imagining it. I could have sworn that this same storyline ran in May. Because the tabloids were practically begging her to go on the record slamming the show, and she gave just a basic I haven’t watched the show I hope that she does x y and z and moved on.
I’ve noticed in the absence of new information they have been running a lot of stories from April and May about WLM, As Ever, or even the podcast as if it’s new information. Probably because they did such a pile on back then to derail everything that there were a lot of stories that potentially were missed or didn’t get a lot of attention at the time.
You echoed my thoughts..
Well, Meghan already is all of those things – authentic and knowledgeable. So it comes across to me as Martha spouting off about something she doesn’t know anything about. Maybe she needs to become more knowledgeable about who Meghan is and has always been and what WLM is all about before opening her mouth 🤷🏽♀️
It never ceases to amaze me how many women/people are just so ready to criticize Meghan (or give quotes that show they know nothing about her) rather than just say something kind or keep their mouths shut.
This! 💯 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
These random people behave as if there are bonus points for being negative. Meghan thrives on being positive and certainly could teach many a lesson about grace.
I didn’t read this as big shade on Meghan either – when Martha wants to savage someone, you’ll know it by the claw marks left on what’s left of the body….
I think Martha is kind of “as long as y’all recognize me as the Mother of all lifestyle, then I don’t give a fig. Gotta go, off for another facelift and series of glam selfies by the swimming pool while smoking blunts with Snoop! Bye!”
Yeah this is about a nice as she’ll be to any newcomer. I didn’t see any digs here, just Martha being Martha.
Martha is iconic in this space. No doubt. But there’s room for more. It didn’t read as super shady to me. But actually for some reason it got me wondering…who might be guests on WLM season 2? It’s already filmed so hmmm.
I don’t think this is that shady either. maybe a little shady – its pretty clear Martha hasn’t watched the show and doesn’t intend to – but she’s not saying Meghan doesn’t know what she’s talking about, just how that’s the most important thing.
@Becks1 … Well, I clicked on the reporter’s byline to see where she’s based. Sophie Coghill is a News Reporter for Yahoo Australia. Aside from the British media, the Australia media writes the most negative Sussex articles and are more likely to ask “What do you think of Harry and Meghan?” for clicks.
It’s actually a bit inauthetic of Martha to make that statement while praising GOOP.
She says the most important thing is “knowing what you are talking about”?
If Meghan makes a salad and uses two ingredients that don’t mesh well because she “doesn’t know what she is talking about” then people that try that salad may not like it. Oh the Horror!
In the meantime, Goop is advising all kinds of quack wellness wackiness, things that could potentially harm readers, but Martha praises her?
Ok then.
She doesn’t say Goop is amazing. She says its been successful and that it has an interesting variety of products, and that Gwyneth has won an Oscar. all true.
No clue what you are talking about with the salad.
I think almost everything Martha says is shady. She’s not a nice woman and while her business acumen is admirable she’s still petty and can be down right nasty. Meghan is doing her thing and what we have seen from the lifestyle genre is that there is plenty of room.
Martha didn’t invent this sort of thing. There were even radio shows doing the same before TV was around. She needs to get over herself. There are more lifestyle people out there than just Meghan for her to comment on; why is it always Meghan?
Exactly! Hey Martha, Terrance Conran would like a word.
Yes, but the radio shows didn’t turn into an empire. Martha’s the gold standard. She’s had dozens of TV shows and won a dozen Emmys, published about 100 books and magazines, her merch is everywhere, her company is listed on the stock exchange. She’s been doing this for 45 years and still keeps up to date and doing new things. With all this and at age 85, she doesn’t need to get over herself – she is who she is.
As for why comment on Meghan? Because they asked.
I’d personally consider Julia Child the first to build an empire around this sort of thing. Martha didn’t invent this niche and doesn’t own it, even if you do think she’s the standard. Personally, I find most of her stuff a little too much, but that’s must my opinion. NOBODY has to answer something just because it is asked. If it were something she didn’t want to answer, she wouldn’t. Or she could have kept it at not being familiar.
@Eurydice and think about how all of this female-to-female serves the trope of “women can’t get along.” That narrative serves men, who are in control (still) of the financing of a lot of lifestyle, either through investments or management or otherwise. It doesn’t serve women, that’s for damned sure, nor the consumers both male and female who love this space and see room for everyone in it.
The blurring of lines between the different specialties and strengths of a Julia or a Martha or an Ina or a Meghan or a Gwyneth (food, food as entertainment, trained vs untrained chef, lifestyle casual or perfect, entrepreneurship, regional, international, ethnic and cultural differences, and on and on) flattens the real contributions women make to these essential activities of our lives. Food! Loved ones! Health! Quality time! Nature! These are all hugely valuable and important and necessary things that bring us beauty and joy. They are not “women’s stuff.” They are life itself.
It’s a variation on how reporting on politics is made to be about sports “horse race, who’s winning, who’s losing” instead of substance. Boo! Do better, people!
@Lady Esther – Yes, it’s like when Meghan said “You don’t have to hate me in order to love her.” Martha has a blunt way of speaking, but she didn’t say anything unreasonable. It’s the business advice that Emma and Meghan were discussing in Emma’s podcast – people call it authenticity, but it just means be who you are and know what you’re talking about.
She could have not joined the media in being negative about Meghan. She was not forced
Julia Child, a Culinary Institute trained chef, is rolling over in her (oversized, she was very tall) grave right now at any comparison to Martha. Julia brilliantly took French technique to the American masses, inspired those who thought they could never cook to cook well, and is a true icon in food and food as entertainment. Cooking shows arguably would never have existed without her (I’m looking at you, Food Network, MasterChef, et cetera). But she never had an “empire”, didn’t have a publicly listed company, didn’t have hundreds of millions. I love Julia!
Martha can obviously cook (I use a lot of her recipes because they’re classic and reliable, like for chocolate layer cake) but her real talent was always lifestyle: how to make every table setting, every room, every experience centered around food and entertaining look perfect, perfect, perfect. The perfect towels. The perfect plates. The perfect flowers. Perfectionism at essentially those touches that a traditional housewife used to provide is Martha, and she monetized it to the max, and good for her. I love Martha!
But they are not remotely comparable. And I like seeing what Meghan will do in this space. So far for food, she leans heavily toward (untrained) Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa model rather than Julia or Martha, with a definite Californian flair in the food. Her episodes with Asian food were fantastic, rang so true (AUTHENTIC!!), and I’m looking forward to more Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese and other influences that define California cuisine as much as Alice Waters. On the lifestyle/entertainment front, I get the sense she’s only getting started and it’s very exciting!
As for Gwyneth, she’s all about wellness crap and again, if she can take money from suckers for it, good for her I guess?
Yes, this. And Martha was just about Meghan’s age when she started this career – so, it’s early days yet. As you say, love Julia, love Martha and love Meghan!
Lady Esther—beg to differ, but Martha’s recipes are…not that great. They have to be executed precisely, and/or take a ton of crap that’s hard to get. I’ve tried at least three of her deals, and the results were “eh” at best. YMMV…
It is clear Martha was asked specific questions to give quotes about Meghan. Why would she use the Meghan haters’ favorite word, authenticity all of a sudden? Everyone is weaponizing the word authentic or authenticity towards our Meghan. For Martha it means being perfect at what you do so you have to be knowledgeable. Once again Meghan is not allowed to define authenticity for herself, she is being asked to prove it. Meghan said she was not after perfection, she was after joy.
Maybe that’s what threatens Martha. She seems to be some sort of perfectionist and Meghan is telling people things don’t have to be perfect to bring joy.
By “authentic,” MS means stay in black spaces. Or rather, out of white spaces. Don’t let her “friendship” with Snoop fool you.
I’m honestly pretty much over the word authentic, whoever uses it. At this point, it’s gonna result in an eye-roll and I’m not even debating who is deemed authentic or not. That conversation has gotten boring and stupid and yes used as a weapon. Authentic or not authentic and faking it, idc. Is it interesting, entertaining or useful, that’s what I’m going to care about.
Martha and Megan may be in the same market and have appeal to the same audiences, but they are happily occupying very different positions:
Martha made her fortune on being a fantasy aspirational brand, appealing to women who would never have the time to crush eggshells from kept chickens, take them to a hardware store and get the color matched, and paint rooms in that color. Martha offered intense expertise and an all-in that I loved, still do. The fact that she was a big thrifter and gardener gave the plebs a whiff of possibility that they could she could do. Her country estate multiple home lifestyle, especially tantalizing in her Martha’s monthly schedule, was beloved. But Martha being beloved was never the point. We never wanted or needed Martha to be relatable.
Megan is your best girlfriend in the world who has been with you through loss and always loved cooking and is going to whip up something to share with you as you bond at the kitchen table. The first episode of her show I realized that I, me, had everything in my little Manhattan apartment to make scented bath salts, and I did! Megan is love.
As lifestyle gurus I adore them. They are well differentiated and there is room for the both to thrive in this space.
I used that paint to paint the kitchen of my old house. Martha had “Aurucana” chickens I think, so the colors had names like Aurucana Blue. They were very pretty, soft, watery colors. Kind of a Farrow And Ball vibe, if I had to compare them to anything. And yes, Martha was/is a tag sale hound. She had a milk glass collection and next thing you know, milk glass was all the rage. She regretted not buying some fabulous old stove from a house that was being renovated. I very much relate to that aspect of Martha. We had similar upbringings. I see her as a taste-setter as much as a cook and entertainer.
Martha is online enough to know the hate M has received, so would naturally not want the negativity associated with bashing her. Bet Meghan is preparing a care package now!
No offense to Martha, but I don’t think it’s rocket science to make food and host guests. Those of us who grew up without servants learned how to do these things to survive. Everyone seems to have their own recipes and ideas for hosting their guests or taking care of their family. It’s not like Martha invented it. She just took it to the extreme bc she had the money and drive to do so.
Everyone loves to hate on Meghan, but she’s always been an overachiever and creative type. Let her do her thing.
Seriously.
I think all three women are very good at this and there is room in the tent for all of them.
Really looking forward to new episodes of WLM.
Martha is my queen, and let’s face it: anyone she shades is lucky to receive that spotlight.
Self-respect. Self-worth. Self-esteem. Self-confidence.
Look them up.
😂😂😂 Yeah, Meghan really needs spotlight. The media totally doesn’t pay attention to her… 😭😭😭
For the wrongs things though. Would be better if it was focused on her projects like this one.
Being shaded doesn’t give a spotlight. Oxymoron.
Okay. This bitch. She praises Gwyn and disparages Meghan. I’m personally cancelling you, Martha. You don’t know which is the fake and which is genuine. Why are you getting on the bandwagon? Do you need some royal friends? A somethingship with Willy?
Martha Stewart did not light any flame before her was a woman named B.Smith she had a cooking show and a life style brand. Also one pot pasta is not a Martha Stewart invention Italians where using this cooking method way before it showed up in America. Secondly there is no copyright on recipes because there’s no such thing as a original recipe. Martha is being shady because she senses and knows that Meghan will eventually surpass her when it comes to economic clout in the lifestyle branding.
B. Smith doesn’t get near the credit she deserves.
“Meghan’s unapologetic attempts to be involved in lifestyle influencing” ———
Why does ‘yahoo ! lifestyle’ and/or Sophie Coghill (byline) think that Meghan has to apologize to be involved in lifestyle influencing? And what, exactly, does Sophie Coghill and yahoo ! lifestyle think that Meghan has to apologize for? Who does she need to apologize to? When is it ok for her to stop apologizing? If ever?
For answers to these inexplicable questions, please contact Sophie Coghill (sophie.coghill@yahooinc.com) because I’m sure she has some great answers 🙄 to how, what, who and why Meghan needs to apologize to justify you wasting your time on her pointed ‘dig’ at Meghan.
Sophie Coghill is a News Reporter for Yahoo Australia… Before Yahoo, Sophie contributed to a variety of publications such as ELLE Australia and Harper’s Bazaar. You can contact her at sophie.coghill@yahooinc.com
Martha Stewart is Martha Stewart she’s been widely successful in her line of work.
I didn’t really read this as shade, would be great if Meghan’s venture could emulate Martha’s success in the space.
I’ve shared my Martha stories on previous posts before, but I’ll share this one again: I used to work at a law firm where Martha was a client in one of the practice groups. The partners who ran that group left for another firm, and Martha chose to take her business with them. She showed up in the office with an assistant and I sh-t you not, a hand truck, and she carried her own huge boxes of files out of that office on that hand truck.
Martha invented a highly lucrative industry out of creating a beautiful home and entertaining friends at a time when being a homemaker had no monetary value in the minds of Americans. I think her comments weren’t meant to shade Meghan at all, but rather just to caution anyone who tries to follow in her foot steps that she created something huge out of nothing by doing a lot of hard work by herself in a way that no one else could.
I doubt Meghan wants to be exactly like martha Stuart. Meghan is her own person and not trying to be exactly like martha Stewart. Martha was and is not flawless and had major slip ups.