Martha Stewart's Documentary Details Her Journey As The Original Influencer

Martha Stewart is one of the most extraordinary women of the latter 20th century, and her legacy has continued strong into the 21st. A new Netflix documentary titled "Martha" is set to drop on October 30, and, although trailers can be deceiving, it certainly looks like it has a chance to be one of the best movies to come out of 2024. The film is directed by the prolific R.J. Cutler, who will be releasing another documentary later this year in December chronicling the life of Elton John. There's a lot that people don't know about Martha Stewart, but the celebrity chef has had a profound impact on American culture over the years and her brand has evolved with her as a person.

Stewart is the first self-made female billionaire in the U.S., and her rise from a working class family of six in New Jersey is full of so many twists and turns it's a wonder that this documentary hasn't been made already. Although she had tried other careers beforehand, including working as a stockbroker for around 10 years, she really rose to fame once she began giving cooking tips to home chefs. The trailer highlights this, but gives special attention to Stewart's 2004 conviction for insider trading, for which she spent five months in a low security prison. Instead of being the stumbling block that toppled her career, Stewart's time in prison only made her more influential. Her cooking episode with rapper Snoop Dogg was insanely popular at the time.

Martha Stewart has worn many hats over the years. She's a prolific author – her 100th book will be released in early November – and an unprecedentedly successful businesswoman. But the documentary doesn't appear to just focus on beige facts and childhood memories. The trailer shows Stewart being interviewed for the film, and her energy is still as ferocious as ever. At one point, she derisively insults men who cheat and instructs young women to leave them immediately. The interviewer then points out that she, herself, had an affair early on in her marriage to her former husband. To which she responds, "Yeah, but I don't think Andy ever knew about that."

Whatever you think of Martha Stewart, the film is sure to get spicy. It's clear to this day, as you can see in the trailer, that she has become hardened by her incarceration. It's precisely that "no holds barred" kind of rebellious attitude mixed with this marketing-friendly image of the perfect housewife that really makes up the public persona of Martha Stewart. And the documentary appears (from the trailer, at least) to successfully pull both of those elements out of her story for display.