Gwyneth Paltrow‘s main focus these days is Goop, especially now that she’s recently hired a new CEO, Lisa Gersh, to expand her brand and eventually launch Goop’s own fashion label. With Paltrow’s growing influence over followers (thanks for introducing us to the concept of conscious uncoupling, Gwyn), it’s not surprising that original lifestyle guru Martha Stewart would view her as a threat.
In an interview with Porter magazine earlier this month, Stewart called out the Goop founder for trying to be like her. “She just needs to be quiet — she’s a movie star. If she were confident in her acting, she wouldn’t be trying to be Martha Stewart,” she told the glossy.
But does it bother Paltrow? Not based on her reaction.
Upon hearing Stewart’s harsh words while speaking at Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Summit on Tuesday evening, she jokingly responded: “No one has ever said anything bad about me before, so I’m shocked and devastated. I’ll try to recover.”
“If I’m really honest, I’m so psyched that she sees us as competition,” she later added. “I really am.” Now that she’s hired Gersh, former CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, it’s no wonder she’s ready to take on Stewart in the lifestyle biz.
As for growing the business with Gersh’s guidance, Paltrow shared that she sees the profit potential in food, health and wellness, and wants to develop new products under the brand. Goop-branded kale, anyone?
Watch Paltrow’s conversation with Real Simple editor Kristin van Ogtrop below.
