NEWSTessa Thompson Admits She 'Froze' During Not 'Great' First Meeting With Martha Stewart Before Chef Makes Her Tear Up With Surprise Gift
On 'TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle,' Tessa Thompson recounted her not 'great' first meeting with Martha Stewart.
Jan. 19 2026, Updated 2:21 p.m. ET
Tessa Thompson got candid about an awkward first encounter with her idol.
During the Monday, January 19, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the actress, 42, revealed that a meet-up with Martha Stewart did not go as planned for her.
Host Jenna Bush Hager joked about Thompson wanting to become the chef’s “bestie.”
Tessa Thompson guest-starred on 'TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.'
“It didn’t go great [when I met her]. I froze. I’m getting better at this, but I was like, ‘Hi, I really like you,’” Thompson recalled. “She was like, ‘Okay, ma'am.’”
Tessa Thompson was nervous meeting Martha Stewart for the first time.
The Veronica Mars alum went on to gush over why Stewart inspires her.
“I think she’s just fantastic. At a time when there wasn’t the kind of female entrepreneurship that there is now, what she built was extraordinary,” the movie star exclaimed. “For so long, there’s been this idea that women in the domestic space, that it’s a way of undermining what we can do in the workplace and in the world. Martha was one of the first people to say, ‘I can do both. I can take this domestic space and make it into a huge powerhouse industry.’ I just think she’s so amazing. She also makes a really good margarita, called a ‘Martha-rita,’ which she gave me.”
Martha Stewart Sent Tessa Thompson a Surprise Message
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Martha Stewart made Tessa Thompson a margarita when they met.
Bush Hager and co-host Sheinelle Jones surprised Thompson with a message from Stewart, who visited TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle last week to showcase one of her recipes.
“Hi, Tessa. Tessa Thompson, I’m so excited to talk to you, and I really appreciate your comments about my margaritas,” the 84-year-old said as Thompson watched the video, stunned. “I hope I see you again soon. One visit is not enough, Tessa. We have to get together. Have fun!”
Martha Stewart Gifted Tessa Thompson a Signed Cookbook
Martha Stewart wants to meet Tessa Thompson again.
Bush Hager then presented the Hedda star with a recipe book signed by Stewart.
“I already own this cookbook but it’s fine,” Thompson said with tears in her eyes. “I have all her vintage cookbooks, too.”
“Are you crying?” the mom-of-three asked.
“Yeah, sorry. I don’t have any cool anymore. Wow, this is…thanks, Martha,” the Creed alum expressed.
“You know what that means about you? That means your heart is open. We like that around here,” Jones consoled her.
Bush Hager agreed, “We cry a lot.”
Tessa Thompson 'Did Not Play It Cool' When She Met Martha Stewart
Tessa Thompson gushed over Martha Stewart on live TV.
During an October 2025 interview, Thompson said that if she were to host a late-night show, she would love to have Stewart on as a guest.
“I met Martha Stewart, and I did not play it cool at all,” she reiterated. “It went terribly. I was just like, ‘Hi.’ She’s like, ‘Hi.’ But she did make me a margarita, and it was delicious and very strong.”
