Martha Stewart has never tip‑toed around controversy, and she wasn’t about to start when she strode onstage at the ICC Sydney Theatre for Vivid Sydney’s Australian‑exclusive “In Conversation” with writer Benjamin Law. The 83‑year‑old lifestyle mogul fired off quips about burnout, millennials and royal etiquette, while also teasing her next round of business plays including a face cream due in October and the candid autobiography she’s currently writing.
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Asked how she avoids modern burnout, Stewart shrugged: “I don’t call it burnout, I call it burning up.” She doubled down when the conversation drifted to stressed‑out millennials: “Poor, poor millennials. I have no sympathy.”
Recipes — and originality — are rarely owned
Stewart also waded into the plagiarism row that has been simmering between Australian food bloggers Nagi Maehashi and Brook Bellamy. “We develop thousands of recipes every year,” she said. “It’s hard to develop a recipe without a repertoire behind it… I don’t think too many recipes are owned by anybody. They are handed down.”
A pioneer worth billions
Before “influencer” was even a word, Stewart built a multimedia empire that spans books, TV, licensing deals and digital content. When Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia went public in 1999 she became America’s first self‑made female billionaire, piggy‑backing a $38 initial share price into a valuation north of US$1 billion.
She has published 101 lifestyle books, won multiple Daytime Emmys and, long before Oprah tried the trick, put herself on the cover of every issue of Martha Stewart Living starting with its 1990 launch.
‘One does not talk about a Duchess’
Ever the diplomat, Stewart side‑stepped a question about Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix series with a wry, “One does not talk about a Duchess.” She did, however, admit she once had a “Martha for President” bumper sticker, adding that age is the only factor stopping her from running.
What’s next: skincare, gin and a tell‑all memoir
Fresh off her viral Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover last year, Stewart told the Sydney crowd she’s finalising “a fantastic face cream” for an October launch as part of a broader skincare line. She’s also collaborating with friend Snoop Dogg on a premium gin and — perhaps most tantalising for fans — drafting an autobiography she promises will “tell it all.”
Despite the late‑night Vivid appearance, the octogenarian closed the session by reminding everyone she had a 7 a.m. call the next morning — proof, if anyone still needed it, that Martha Stewart is still “burning up” rather than burning out.
