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In a new Netflix documentary focusing on her life and career, "Martha," the homemaking icon, now age 83, details her time in prison in personal letters given to director R.J. Cutler, according to a report by People.
Stewart spent five months in late 2004 and early 2005 in a minimum-security federal prison in West Virginia after she was caught lying to investigators about selling her shares of the biopharmaceutical company ImClone Systems.
According to the outlet, during the film, a voiceover reads the following from one of Stewart's letters about her first 150 days in prison:
"Physical exam, stripped of all clothes. Squat, arms out, cough — embarrassing."
Stewart also talked more about her prison term in an interview during the documentary, People reported: "I had to do all that crap that you see in the movies. You can't even believe that that's what you're going through."
Stewart's letters also go over an incident that led to the media mogul being placed in solitary confinement, according to People:
"Today I saw two very well-dressed ladies walking and I breezed by them, remarking on the beautiful warm morning and how nice they looked. When I realized from the big silver key chain that they were guards, I lightly brushed the chain...later I was called in to be told never, ever touch a guard without expecting severe reprimand," Stewart's letter reads.
Following the incident, Stewart was "dragged into solitary for touching an officer," she says in the documentary, adding that she was not given food or water for a day, People reported.
Despite this, the outlet added a response to Stewart's recollection given by the Federal Bureau of Prisons:
"Every individual is provided with the basic necessities of life including regular meals three times a day and access to potable water regardless of where they are housed," officials told People.
Stewart also gives more harrowing details about her prison stay in the film, saying that she slept on a bunk bed with "saggy" metal springs and a metal frame, which she called "unhealthy." She also had to start her mornings at 4 a.m., People reported.
"Martha" will begin streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, Oct. 30. However, Stewart has already slammed the film, calling it "lazy" and "not the story that makes me, me" during the 2024 Retail Influencer CEO Forum.
She also said the film's director, R.J. Cutler, "refused to change anything" even though she had a collaboration contract with the documentary, according to OK Magazine.
Stewart rose to fame as a globally known businesswoman and television personality and is known for her media empire which includes cookbooks, her magazine, "Martha Stewart Living," and numerous television shows, including "Martha Gardens," "Martha Cooks," and "Martha Holidays."
She is a resident of the Northern Westchester hamlet of Katonah. She has also previously had homes in Westport, Connecticut, and on Long Island, in East Hampton.
Click here to read the full report by People.
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