Martha Stewart brags that ‘horrible’ prison stint gave her street cred

Martha Stewart is looking back on her five-month prison stint, served between 2004 and 2005 for her role in a stock trading scandal.

The 85-year-old professional homemaker – who recently called her ex-husband Andy a ‘jerk’ – bragged that her time ‘behind bars’ gave her ‘street cred’ in a new interview with People magazine. 

‘Of course it gave me street cred,’ she told the outlet. ‘I mean, you would never know what jail was like until you go to jail.’

Stewart described FPC Alderson, a women’s minimum-security federal prison in West Virginia often referred to as ‘Camp Cupcake,’ as ‘a horrible place.’

‘It’s not a restorative process,’ she said about serving time.

Stewart was convicted of four counts – found guilty of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators.

Martha Stewart is looking back on her five-month prison stint, served between 2004 and 2005 for her role in a stock trading scandal; pictured in February

Stewart was sentenced to five months in prison in July 2004 following her conviction on charges stemming from a dodgy stock deal

The 159-acre federal prison where Stewart was housed for five months is comparable to a college campus.

Unlike a high-security prison, it has no barbed wire fencing, and inmates have access to TVs, plus recreational activities including ceramic classes and gardening. 

Martha Stewart trashes ‘jerk’ ex-husband Andy as she reveals his wild reaction to revelation she had an affair

Stewart was ᴀssigned housing in one of the three ‘mansions,’ each with around 100 rooms with bunk beds for two roommates.

The relatively cushy unit was reserved for newbies and inmates with short prison sentences. 

In December 2024, Stewart’s ‘prison bestie’ Lisa Guarino revealed to the Daily Mail that the cookbook author was not exactly straight-laced while serving time.

Guarino revealed that Martha was written up for trying to smuggle two sugar packages out of the kitchen, and reprimanded for picking crabapples from the prison’s trees. 

‘Every blade of grᴀss and tree leaf is owned by the government, so when Martha made her crabapple jam it was made from contraband product,’ she shared. 

The media personality’s prison stint stretched from December 2004 until her release in March 2005. 

An undated handout from the Federal Bureau of Prisons shows a cell in the Alderson Federal Prison Camp, a minimum security facility 

‘Of course it gave me street cred,’ Stewart said about her time behind bars. ‘I mean, you would never know what jail was like until you go to jail’; pictured in February

Over 20 years after regaining her freedom, Stewart continues to enjoy a life of luxury.

The home expert, who has authored 102 cookbooks, turned 85 on August 3 and has been celebrating with friends in Maine.

This week she shared a pH๏τo of herself in an outdoor H๏τ tub on Instagram, writing in a caption to her three million followers: ‘I am going to use this amazing H๏τ tub every single day I am in Maine.’ 

And on Friday she took to the social media platform to share pH๏τos from a dinner party in Seal Harbour.

‘The menu, designed to incorporate many of the items from local Maine and my gardens was enjoyed by 23 guests,’ she bragged in a caption.

She shared images of ‘cold, fresh garden pea soup with brioche croutons and crème fraiche, sautéed scallops served on a bed of Bedford potato puree and Maine corn,’ plus a cobbler made with ‘blueberries and Bedford peaches’ and homemade vanilla ice cream.