Martha Stewart’s Ex Speaks Out on Their ‘Abusive’ Marriage

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 29: Martha Stewart attends the 2024 WWD Honors at Cipriani South Street on October 29, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)
Dominik Bindl

Martha Stewart’s ex-husband Andy Stewart is not happy about his depiction in the Netflix documentary Martha.

Martha Stewart opened up about their 29 year marriage in the documentary, where she called Andy, 86, a “piece of s--t” for having several “girlfriends” during their marriage. “I don’t know how many,” she said.

Now, Andy has used the Facebook page of his current wife Shyla Nelson Stewart, 56, to post a joint statement in response.

“Prior to this happy chapter in his life, Andy had some dark ones, including a painful and abusive marriage to Martha,” the statement, which is signed by both Andy and Shyla, reads.

The couple added, “While Andy quietly moved on and forward with his life, it appears that Martha continues to publicly relitigate the marriage.”

The documentary covers the breadth of Martha Stewart’s life, from her childhood through her time as one of very few female brokers on Wall Street, to the creation of her homemaking brands that turned her into a mogul, and then onto her court case and subsequent two-year prison sentence for conspiracy, obstruction, and lying to federal investigators, and beyond.

Martha Stewart and husband, publisher Andy Stewart, outside their home, 24th March 1980.  (Photo by Arthur Schatz/Getty Images)
Martha Stewart and husband, publisher Andy Stewart, outside their home, 24th March 1980. (Photo by Arthur Schatz/Getty Images)

Martha and Andy Stewart were married from 1961 to 1990 and share a daughter. Andy was reportedly “furious” that Martha would be spilling about their marriage in the documentary before it even premiered, his children and neighbors told NewsNation.

Martha Stewart said of her marriage to Andy in the documentary, “If you’re married and you think you’re happily married, and your husband starts to cheat on you, he’s a piece of s--t. Look at him as a piece of sh--t and get out of it, get out of that marriage. But I couldn’t do that, couldn’t walk away.” She also accuses her then-husband of having an affair with an employee who lived on their property: “Andy betrayed me, right on our property. Not nice.”

But Stewart herself also admits to having a “very brief affair with a “very attractive Irish man” early on in her relationship with Andy, as well as kissing a stranger on their honeymoon while her new husband waited for her at their hotel.

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29:  Shyla Nelson Stewart attends 'Find Your Voice LA & One Earth One Voice' a night of art and activism benefit for YES on B on October 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 29: Shyla Nelson Stewart attends 'Find Your Voice LA & One Earth One Voice' a night of art and activism benefit for YES on B on October 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)

“It wasn’t naughty or unfaithful,” she said. “It was just emotional of the moment. It was exciting.” Though neither of them were faithful to one another, Andy’s sister Diane Stewart Love told Page Six she thinks Martha still loves her brother: “Martha has always cared deeply for my brother. She just hasn’t let go of that.”

Andy and his current wife wrote in their post, “The juxtaposition of Andy’s early life with the joy-filled, purpose-led, loving marriage we live today is striking,” and continued on about their “deep and everlasting love” before wishing Martha “the experience of loving and being loved deeply and fully.”