Ina Garten Clears The Air On Her Alleged Martha Stewart Feud: 'There's No Antipathy'

The battle of the TV cooking titans is officially taking a back seat. Ina Garten is setting the record straight regarding where she truly stands with fellow lifestyle legend Martha Stewart following decades of chatter about an icy fallout between the two icons. Speaking with *The New York Times* in a new profile, the 78-year-old *Barefoot Contessa* star didn't hesitate to shower Stewart, 85, with heavy praise. Garten completely shut down the narrative that they harbor any ongoing resentment toward each other, insisting she holds deep admiration for the empire Stewart built from scratch with unmatched vision.

Why did Ina Garten and Martha Stewart stop being friends?

The pair originally connected back in the early 1990s when Stewart popped into Garten’s legendary Barefoot Contessa gourmet food shop in East Hampton, New York. What began as a promising bond between two rising culinary giants eventually hit a major wall roughly a decade down the line. Tensions allegedly boiled over around 2004 during Stewart’s headline-grabbing legal saga and subsequent five-month stint in federal prison for felony conspiracy and lying to investigators. Stewart previously claimed in 2024 that Garten completely stopped speaking to her once she landed behind bars. However, Garten has long contested Stewart's version of how their relationship cooled off.

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Are Ina Garten and Martha Stewart friends now?

Despite the past friction and differing memories of their rift, Garten’s latest remarks indicate that any lingering animosity is firmly in the rearview mirror. She confirmed that while their social interactions changed—partially due to Stewart moving her main residence out to Bedford, New York—the fundamental respect between the two powerhouses remains solid. Ultimately, the former Food Network host wants pop-culture observers to know that rumors of an active feud between the lifestyle mavens are entirely overblown. There might have been distance over the years, but as far as Garten is concerned, the kitchen knives are put away and it is nothing but love between legends.