The Memorable Moment Martha Stewart Threw Shade At A Food Network Executive

Martha Stewart is a culinary and cultural icon, not just for her delicious recipes and immaculate homemaking skills, but also for her opinionated and sometimes feisty personality. Stewart has often feuded with fellow culinary figures and celebrities, sometimes in public but other times in private. Just ask the former president of Food Network, Eric Ober.

In 1999, Ober wanted to fill time on the young network with reruns of "Martha Stewart Living" and attempted to buy syndication rights. But according to a report in The Daily Beast, Stewart viewed the little-known channel with contempt that spilled over to Ober himself — even though she wanted the multi-million dollar paycheck.

Stewart reportedly refused to look at Ober when signing the contract, and after penning her name on paper, simply got up and left without so much as acknowledging his presence. Ober then told his lawyer that he hoped never to see her again, and he may not have. Though the deal also required Stewart to produce but not star in an original series by the year 2000, according to her producer credits on IMDb, the show was never produced.

It's easy to see why Eric Ober wanted to sign Martha Stewart, even if she seemed to deride both him and his network. "Martha Stewart Living" was a cultural juggernaut, as shown by the Martha Stewart outtake that helped create the Barefoot Contessa. Early in her career, Ina Garten was filming a segment when Stewart's production staff chastised her for talking with her mouth full, which Garten thought was ridiculous for a cooking show. Food Network loved the unaired moment and ultimately offered Garten her own show, which she reluctantly accepted.

Stewart and Garten's friendliness was short-lived, however. The two reportedly had a falling out, with Stewart accusing Garten of abandoning her after her 2004 prison sentence (Garten maintains that they simply drifted apart). Whatever the case, Stewart has historically been involved in some of the biggest celebrity chef feuds, like those with Gwyneth Paltrow or Rachael Ray, so the stove isn't the only place she's had long-simmering beef.

Fans of Stewart's biting quips across her miscellaneous feuds have years of gossip articles to reminisce on, and there's also a chance of a stray comment on the 24/7 Martha Stewart Roku channel, which has all her major TV shows available anytime. But you probably won't see her make any snide on-camera remarks about executives; the consummate homemaker is too professional for such a tawdry slip.