The Most Outrageous Claims Martha Stewart Has Made About Her Time In Prison

Martha Stewart has been so busy thriving with her media empire that it's easy to forget she once swapped designer aprons for prison scrubs. The Emmy-winning TV host has nearly erased the memory of her prison stint thanks to her remarkable career comeback. But in case you've forgotten, yes, Stewart did time — and she once called it one of the most "horrifying" experiences of her life, though some claim that she may have gotten some special treatment while inside.

To jog your memory a little bit, Stewart spent nearly half a year at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia, often referred to as the "cushiest prison" in America. Her temporary fall from grace began in December 2001, when she sold shares in a biopharmaceutical company and later claimed that she and her stockbroker had no insider knowledge influencing the sale. It was later revealed that wasn't the case, and in 2004, Stewart was convicted on multiple charges, including fraud, making false statements, and obstructing justice.

Stewart's time at "Camp Cupcake" (as Alderson is also nicknamed) included five months of incarceration, followed by five months of home confinement and two years of probation. At first, she painted her time there as surprisingly enlightening, sharing in her book "The Martha Rules" all about the friendships she made and all the books she finally had time to enjoy. But years later, she set the record straight, admitting her prison days weren't quite as rosy as she'd originally let on. In fact, some of her claims were borderline egregious, and it makes you wonder if they're really based on her actual experiences.

Martha Stewart herself clarified that Camp Cupcake wasn't exactly very, err, cupcake-y. In the Netflix documentary "Martha," she shared some eye-opening moments from her time at Alderson, including one where she felt mistreated. Like in every prison movie ever, Stewart revealed that inmates were subjected to strip searches for physical exams, and the guards? Not exactly a friendly bunch. In fact, attempting to be chummy with them earned her a stint in solitary confinement.

"Today I saw two very well-dressed ladies walking and I breezed by them, remarking on the beautiful warm morning and how nice they looked. When I realized from the big silver key chain that they were guards, I lightly brushed the chain," she narrated, reading one of her letters from that time (via People). "Later I was called in to be told never, ever touch a guard without expecting severe reprimand." Apparently, the act was enough to drag her into solitary. "No food or water for a day. This was Camp Cupcake, remember?" she added. "It was not a cupcake."

Stewart also got real about how "awful" the experience was, sharing on the "Next Question with Katie Couric" podcast that there was no redeeming factor at all. "It was horrifying, and no one should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories," she divulged and went on to shut down any idea that prison made her stronger, completely contradicting her earlier attempts to find a silver lining. "That you can make lemons out of lemonade?" she added. "No. None of those adages fit at all. It's a horrible experience. Nothing is good about it, nothing."

Martha Stewart may claim she was left to fend for herself in solitary confinement at Camp Cupcake, but the Federal Bureau of Prisons isn't having it. They've flat-out denied her story, stating that Alderson doesn't even have solitary confinement. "We respectfully decline to address allegations from 2004," it said in a statement shared with Newsweek. "The FBOP does not have solitary confinement units. While some facilities have restrictive housing units, Federal Prison Camp Alderson does not have one. In cases where it becomes necessary to temporarily remove an individual from the general population, FBOP facilities may use secure observation areas under direct supervision."

What's more, the FBOP insists that even in those areas, meals and water are still provided. It also assured that all inmates receive "humane treatment" during their stay. As for Stewart's allegations of cruel prison guards? Her former inmates have a different take. One of them dished to The New York Post that Stewart actually had a bit more freedom than most, occasionally baking and picking fruit without getting so much as a slap on the wrist. "The normal person would get punished for that, but the prison guards managed not to see her," they said. Interesting!

Whatever the real story is, Stewart's made one thing clear: she wants to leave her prison stint behind her. "I don't want that to be the major thing of my life. It's just not fair," she said in her conversation with Katie Couric. "It's not a good experience and it doesn't make you stronger. I was a strong person to start with and thank heavens I was. And I can still hold my head up high and know that I'm fine."