Martha Stewart reveals identity of 'dead' writer she blasted in Netflix documentary after columnist hit back with 'I'm alive' piece
Martha Stewart has clarified which journalist she was referring to with the comment 'she's dead now, thank goodness' after igniting a dramatic firestorm.
The lifestyle mogul made the scathing remark in her new Netflix documentary while talking about the news coverage of her 2004 trial in connection with an insider trading case.
In her new film, Stewart can be heard saying: 'The New York Post lady was there just looking so smug. She had written horrible things during the entire trial. She’s dead now, thank goodness, and nobody has to put up with that c*** she was writing all the time.'
The statement triggered an onslaught of speculation, with viewers interested to know who she may have been talking about.
New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser then stepped forward with a piece declaring she was not in fact dead, working on the assumption the comment was about her, presumably because she covered Stewart's trial and her publication had been named.
Peyser addressed the homemaking expert directly in a first person piece published on the New York Post website, writing: 'Two decades later, she’s still fantasizing about (plotting?) my grisly demise.'
Stewart has now clarified her comments, telling CNBC that it was actually New York Times journalist Constance Hays who she is glad is dead - not Peyser.
Hays, a long-time business reporter at the Times, died just a year after covering Stewart's 2005 trial at the age of 44 after suffering from cancer.
'That was a little bit of sloppy fact-checking on the part of my team on the documentary,' Stewart said.
Martha Stewart has finally set the record straight as the lifestyle mogul revealed the identity of the journalist she was hatefully referring to in her now infamous documentary
New York Post journalist Andrea Peyser addressed Stewart in a scathing article as she declared: 'I’m alive, b**ch!'
Stewart said that Peyser was never mentioned by name in the film and has 'no idea' why she assumed the reference was about her.
She also insisted her words was aimed at Hays as she doubled down on her deep-rooted dislike of the reporter on Tuesday.
'I’m sorry for her family, but I did not like Constance Hays. I did not like what she did to me every day. It was horrible, and not very accurate and not very true and not very nice,' she said.
Yet, Peyser was not clear of Stewart's hate-train just yet as the television personality saying: 'Andrea Peyser wrote the same c*** that she always writes, but I wasn’t talking about her.
'She needs to get off her high horse and not think that I was thinking about her for the last 15 years.'
The Post journalist had referred to the comments that Stewart made in her Netflix documentary and delved into the author's childhood, her only marriage and even her stint in prison.
Referring to Stewart as the 'Domestic Dominatrix', Peyser wrote: 'It’s been 20 years since Martha Stewart traded her Manolo stilettos for ballet flats, her 1,000-thread-count Egyptian cotton bedsheets for a lumpy, polyester blend-covered bunk bed -the bottom half, she moaned - as she became the most fabulous and furious inmate ever to grace Club Fed.'
Stewart said that she never mentioned a name in the film and has 'no idea' why Peyser assumed she was referencing her. Stewart insisted her intention was meant for Hays as she doubled down on her deep-rooted dislike of the reporter on Tuesday
The columnist then joked: 'News of my passing came as a shock. Should I be scared about continuing to write that “crap”?' before labeling Stewart as a 'petty and abusive perfectionist.'
However, Peyser's digs didn't end there as she claimed the TV star has 'gone from being a billionaire to a mere multimillionaire.
The journalist went on to say that she 'gets the sense' that Martha is 'lonely,' and described her as a 'cold and indifferent mother,' to her only child, Alexis.
'She’s rich. She’s beautiful, creative and temperamental. I pity her,' Peyser finished her article with.
The retail businesswoman was also mocked on Saturday Night Live's opening monologue performed by the 365 singer.
'When Martha gets mad about an old magazine article and she says that she’s glad the journalist who wrote it is dead, that is brat,' the singer said.
'And then last Friday, when that exact journalist responded and said, ‘Hey, I’m alive b****,’ that is extremely brat.'
Stewart was found guilty on counts of conspiracy and obstruction and two counts of making false statements in March 2004 after a six-week trial.
She was locked up in October that same year, before being released in March 2005 and spent a further five months in home confinement.
After tuning into the documentary last week, viewers were stunned with Stewart's scathing takedown of Peyser and took to X - formerly known as Twitter - to comment.
'Martha Stewart, I was not familiar with your game,' one person wrote, while another said: 'I don't care, I love Martha!'
A third said: 'Martha literally has me scream-laughing on this Netflix documentary.'
'She is so real for this,' a fourth commented, while a fifth added: 'This doc is brilliant. If you don't like Martha, this won't make you - but Martha is authentic and I'm here for it.'
