See birthday girl Martha Stewart's stunning photos from college modeling days to rocking swimsuits at 85

A young Martha Kostyra supplemented her scholarship to Barnard College with a stint as a model, which began when she was a teenager. At the time, she made $15 an hour (almost $170 in 2026), and modeled for companies like Chanel and appeared in magazines like Glamour.

By the 1960s, after marrying Andrew Stewart, Martha entered the world of stockbroking. However, in 1976, she started her first catering company with a friend at home. That, and her husband's success in the publishing world, soon led her to become a professional hostess and chef, and in 1982, she published the first of many cookbooks, Entertaining.

By the time the '90s hit, Martha had already appeared on TV numerous times, particularly on The Oprah Winfrey Show, before she started her own half-hour television program, Martha Stewart Living, in 1993. The name came from her popular magazine of the same name, which began in 1990 and was selling hundreds of thousands of copies per issue. By the end of the decade, Martha was seen as the definition of the American homemaker (and a red carpet favorite).

In 2004, Martha was sentenced to nine months in prison for her involvement in the ImClone stock trading case. While many saw the conviction as the end of her brand, upon her release, she quickly launched an intense comeback campaign, which included brand new TV projects, magazines and books.

By the 2010s, Martha had leveraged her prison time into a brand new image that deviated away from the wholesome '90s Martha and leaned more into "Martha with an edge," one that appealed especially to younger generations. Her friendship with Snoop Dogg and appearances on shows like Ugly Betty plus the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber certainly helped.

In her 80s, Martha remains one of the most popular and powerful names in the lifestyle space. In 2023, she made her debut on the cover of Sports Illustrated's famed Swimsuit Issue, becoming the oldest person to appear on the cover at the age of 81.

The media mogul took to her Instagram Stories the morning of her 85th birthday with a snap of herself relaxing in the new hot tub of her Bedford, New York home, and it looks like she's still having the time of her life!