Martha Stewart enrages fans over ‘unhinged’ bagel-eating method

The 84-year-old said her daughter, Alexis Stewart, had told her about the technique

Martha Stewart has angered fans after suggesting a radical new way to eat a bagel.

The 84-year-old entrepreneur shared a step-by-step guide to the method — taught to her by her daughter, Alexis Stewart — in a post shared to Instagram Friday.

The carousel of photos started with a poppy-seed bagel next to a tub of cream cheese and a lemon wedge.

“How to eat a bagel!!!!!! Taught years ago by my daughter Alexis Stewart,” she captioned the post.

“1. choose a @popupbagels bagel. I love poppyseed 2. Cut in half 3. Take a half of a half and break into sweet little pieces 4. Sweet little pieces can be topped with flavored or unflavored cream cheese,” the instructions explained in the caption. “It's very satisfying to eat a bagel like this.”

Stewart claimed she learned the bagel-eating technique from her 60-year-old daughter, Alexis (Getty/@marthastewart48)

Many people were quick to criticize the TV personality, accusing her of promoting “boomer diet culture.”

“Love you, Martha, but it’s 2025, we can eat whole bagels now,” one commenter wrote, while another agreed, “This is unhinged, Martha.”

“I love you but this is straight up boomer diet culture. Eat the bagel girl,” a third person wrote.

“Martha, I love you more than my own family, but this is utterly unacceptable, and I implore you to repent for your sins,” added a fourth.

The lifestyle guru then appeared to edit the Instagram post’s caption to address the backlash, writing, “CAN'T ANYONE TAKE A JOKE?????? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!!!”

Stewart recently became the face of American Eagle’s new holiday campaign, months after the brand faced immense criticism for its advertisement with Sydney Sweeney.

In a photo for the campaign, Stewart posed in a kitchen filled with appliances wrapped in towels made out of denim. She wore a dark blue denim jacket, matching jeans, and a navy cardigan wrapped around her shoulders.

“I have spent decades helping people create beautiful holidays — from setting the perfect table to trimming the tree to finding that last-minute gift that saves the day,” she told People about the campaign. “So when American Eagle approached me about being part of their holiday gifting campaign, I was immediately intrigued.”

Stewart continued, “The concept of an all denim world was playful, smart and whimsical: an entire gift-wrapping workshop constructed from denim, complete with bows, garlands and wrapping paper.”