Like most things in the Martha Stewart universe, even her afterlife plans sound oddly elegant, subtly chaotic, and unmistakably on brand.
The 84-year-old lifestyle powerhouse revealed on the QVC podcast 50+ & Unfiltered that she knows exactly what she wants done with her body when she dies, and spoiler: she’s skipping the casket showroom entirely.
Stewart, never one for understated choices, dismissed the traditional burial route with her usual blend of charm and “Martha knows best” authority.
When host Shawn Killinger asked how she’d prefer to be laid to rest, Stewart didn’t hesitate:
“These coffin things and all that stuff? No way!”
That set the tone for the episode’s rapid-fire “burning questions,” where Stewart also mused about God (“she thinks she believes”) and psychiatry (she found therapy “futile”). But the biggest reveal came when Killinger asked where, exactly, Stewart plans to spend eternity.
Stewart revealed:
“Oh, I’m going to be composted. When one of my horses dies, we dig a giant hole—really deep—in one of my fields. We have a pet cemetery, and the horse is wrapped in a clean white linen sheet and very carefully dropped down into this giant, lovely grave. I want to go there.”
If the image of Martha Stewart swaddled in linen and gently lowered into the soil beside one of her horses sounds surreal, don’t worry—it’s precisely the tableau she’s envisioning. Her 150-acre Katonah, New York estate has long been showcased across her TV empire and Martha Stewart Living, already has horses, gardens, and a surprisingly charming (and not haunted) pet cemetery.
Now it seems it will one day house her future biodegradable self. Her burial plan is a form of human composting known as "terramation."
According to Return Home, which specializes in the process, terramation is:
“[T]he process of transforming human remains into nutrient-rich soil through controlled natural decomposition, offering an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation.”
Stewart didn’t even seem fazed when Killinger asked whether this unorthodox plan was actually legal.
She put it bluntly:
“I don’t know. Why not? It’s not going to hurt anyone. It’s my property.”
And in Martha’s defense, human composting or terramation is actually more acceptable these days than anyone soon to be dying realizes. Washington already legalized it in 2019, with states like California, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon following suit.
Whether Martha’s exact burial location method qualifies is… unclear. Although it’s highly unlikely anyone will stop a woman who once rebuilt her empire after serving five months in federal prison for obstruction of justice and then emerged from it more influential than before.
You can view the podcast clip here:
The moment the clip circulated on social platforms, fans and skeptics alike jumped in with reactions ranging from admiration to “only Martha would do this.”
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The rest of the interview confirmed that Stewart remains a delightful paradox: part self-aware mogul, part immortal woodland creature who somehow learned Pilates. When Killinger asked about near-death experiences, Stewart claimed she couldn’t think of any—until the host gently reminded her she’s been struck by lightning three times.
Stewart shrugged it off with the same energy she uses when pretending she’s never once burned a soufflé.
Naturally, the conversation shifted to beauty routines, because no one invites Martha Stewart onto a podcast for women over 50 without asking how she still looks ready to shoot a Vogue cover at dawn.
The 10-time Daytime Emmy winner, who once broke the internet with a poolside thirst trap, insisted she’s steered clear of plastic surgery so far, though she isn’t philosophically opposed to future “adjustments.”
Stewart revealed:
“Nope. I’m trying not to ever go under the knife. It doesn’t appeal to me. I have this theory: if one takes care of oneself really well and follows strict, but not life-threatening kinds of disciplines, one can look good, feel good, and be good for a whole life.”
Discipline has gotten Stewart a sprawling media empire, a post-prison career renaissance, and a best-friendship with Snoop Dogg that still feels like a cosmic clerical error. It has also not prevented her from serving unfiltered opinions on everything from Duchess Meghan’s cooking show to the alleged moral hazards of food delivery.
She closed out by praising her grandkids, Jude and Truman, who bypass “Grandma” for “Martha”—fitting for a woman who is somehow the CEO of both domestic living and her upcoming soil-based retirement.
