Martha Stewart hits back at ‘fake news’ saying she actually owns 21 peacocks

Stewart says her peacocks are ‘so friendly, ‘so clean’ and ‘do not smell’

Saman Javed
Monday 17 May 2021 12:11 BST
Comments
Martha Stewart attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Martha Stewart attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Martha Stewart has set the record straight after an article claimed she had 16 peacocks on her New York-based farm

Taking to Twitter yesterday morning, Stewart criticised The New York Post for publishing “fake news” after an article about fellow peacock owner, Sean Flynn, undercounted the number of birds she owns.

“The nypost again ‘fake news’. They have a story on peacocks today and say I have sixteen on my farm I actually have 21 of these glorious birds whose house is impeccable,” she said.

The article, titled Peculiar pets: How one man learned that six peacocks are better than one, is about Flynn’s new book, in which he says the birds are so loud he expected to get complaints from his neighbours.

Coming to the defence of her pets, Stewart insisted they are “fun to hear” and “so friendly”.

“They do not smell. They are so clean! Their voices are loud but such fun to hear. They are so friendly,” she added.

In a separate tweet, she made it clear that her criticism was not aimed at Flynn, writing: “He sounds like a very nice bird lover and he understands the lore and beauty of this beautiful breed of bird. Congratulations Mr Flynn!!!”

Accounts about how many peacocks Stewart owns have differed in the past.

As one Twitter user pointed out, it appears The New York Post got their figure from Stewart’s own website. In July 2020 she provided an update on her peafowl, writing that she has 16 peahens and peacocks.

“I visit these beautiful birds every day. I love calling out to them and waiting for their energetic responses. My peacocks are doing exceptionally well and remain active, curious, and very, very vocal,” she said in the post.

In February 2021, Stewart told Harper’s Bazaar she has 20 peacocks on her farm. She said she also owns horses, five Sicilian donkeys, 34 homing pigeons, 17 geese and more than 200 hens and roosters. 

The NY Post has since updated its story to include the correct count of Stewart’s peacocks.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in