Martha Stewart and Ina Garten have different opinions on why their decades-long friendship ended.
The New Yorker published a profile on Garten earlier this month, and both parties explained why they stopped speaking to each other. According to Stewart, Garten cut ties with her after Stewart was sentenced to prison.
“When I was sent to Alderson prison, she stopped talking to me,” Stewart explained. “I found it very distressing and very unfriendly.”
Martha Stewart says Ina Garten 'stopped talking to her' after Stewart went to prison. (Getty Images)
Although Stewart has always maintained her innocence, she was found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction and two counts of lying to investigators in connection with her insider trading scandal in 2004. She received a sentence of five months in prison, five months of house arrest and two years of supervised probation.
MARTHA STEWART, 81, APPEARS ON THE COVERS OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED POSING IN A DARING SWIMSUIT
Garten has questioned Stewart's recollections of the two fighting. Garten told The New Yorker that she and Stewart became estranged after Stewart began spending time at her new estate in Bedford, New York.
Meanwhile, Stewart's publicist has reaffirmed the cooking star's original statement, saying she is “not bitter at all” following the fight.
“When I was sent to Alderson prison, she stopped talking to me. I found it very distressing and very hostile.”
“There is no dispute,” Susan Magrino told The New Yorker.
The couple's history goes back decades. Stewart first crossed paths with Garten after stopping by her store, Barefoot Contessa, in East Hampton, New York, in the 1990s.
Stewart served five months in prison for his insider trading scandal in 2004. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)
Garten previously recalled her first interaction with Stewart.
“My desk was right in front of the cheese case and we ended up talking,” she told Time in 2017. “We ended up doing a charity gala at her house together and I was the caterer. We became friends after that.”
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Stewart connected Gartner with a publisher, who helped her publish the cookbook “The Barefoot Contessa.” In 1999, Garten joined Stewart for an episode of “Martha Stewart Living.”
Ina Garten met Martha Stewart in the 90s. (Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Garten went on to star on the Food Network cooking show “Barefoot Contessa” from 2002 to 2021.
Garten and Stewart have faced breakup rumors for years. During her interview with Time in 2017, Garten continued to praise Stewart.
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“I think she did something really important, which was to take something that was undervalued, which is the home-grown arts, and elevate it to a level where people were proud to do it, and that completely changed the landscape,” he said.
Ina Garten previously praised Martha Stewart for helping her in her career. (Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)
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“Then I went my own way, which is that I'm not a trained professional chef. Cooking is really hard for me. Here I am, 40 years in the food business, and it's still hard for me.”
