Martha Stewart may have changed the game of lifestyle branding, but plenty of female trailblazers came after her. For instance, Gwyneth Paltrow took to Netflix to share all about her lifestyle and wellness company, Goop. But as Meghan Markle created her own lifestyle Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, Stewart was asked how she felt about the Duchess of Sussex shifting into lifestyle, and she didn’t hold back.
Meghan Markle’s first steps into lifestyle started with her blog The Tig, which ran from 2014 to 2017. After creating her cooking brand As Ever, the Suits alum headlined her 2025 Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, where she shared her personal tips and how-tos on cooking, gardening, and hosting.
In May, Martha Stewart took the high road and didn’t bother answering about Meghan Markle allegedly copying her. With Yahoo! Lifestyle, on the other hand, the American businesswoman decided not to hold back her answer when asked the same question:
Meghan, I don't really know very well, and I hope she knows what she's talking about.
Well, Meghan Markle did show off a unique way of cooking pasta on her Netflix show that had mixed reactions. While some were scratching their heads seeing the former actress pour boiling water over dried pasta, others felt the one-pot pasta recipe was really good. So, I guess Markle does know her stuff, even if not everybody agrees with her approach.
As Martha Stewart has been in the lifestyle business since 1976, it’s safe to say she definitely knows her stuff. She continued to tell Yahoo! Lifestyle that she hopes Meghan Markle will be “authentic” in her line of work:
Authenticity, to me, is everything, and to be authentic and knowledgeable about your subject matter is extremely important.
Unfortunately, Meghan Markle has received her share of criticism from those who watched With Love, Meghan. Widespread complaints about the Netflix series had one critic saying it was “out of touch” using cookware that was too fancy for the average cook, and celeb chef Jameston Stocks said the show was “painful to watch.” Despite the criticism, the Duchess refused to let any negativity bother her and felt she was being her authentic self.
While Martha Stewart doesn’t know Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand too well, that doesn’t mean she’s not aware of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop. The Martha Stewart Living publisher made sure to sing her praises to the Oscar winner:
Gwyneth has been very successful; she created quite an interesting body of businesses. She's admired. She won an Oscar for heaven’s sake as an actress! She's pretty powerful.
There’s no doubt that Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand is a growing success. Initially starting as a newsletter, the lifestyle brand has transformed throughout the years into an e-commerce site, a Netflix series, a podcast, and retail stores. Sure, there are unconventional products like questionable vaginal eggs or explosive vagina candles. But you can’t deny that its publicity has drawn in curious customers.
With Love, Meghan was initially not going to return for season 2 after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s deal with Netflix was reportedly scrapped. But despite the rumors, Markle is allegedly returning to the streamer, knowing Netflix will benefit from promoting the lifestyle guru’s As Ever brand through her series. Martha Stewart had a quick response to the Los Angeles native as her work goes forward:
I don't mind. Good luck.
There you have it. It looks like Martha Stewart has given her seal of approval.
Based on Martha Stewart’s honest take on Meghan Markle’s lifestyle series, the former television host seems to be fine with the media personality following in her footsteps as long as she knows her stuff. When you think about it, every lifestyle brand offers something new to the table, and there’s room for more than one trendsetter in the spotlight. Until we know for sure what’s happening with Season 2 of With Love, Meghan, you can watch Season 1 on your Netflix subscription.
