Why did Martha Stewart go to jail as the star makes surprise appearance on The Kardashians

Martha Stewart delighted reality TV fans with her appearance on Thursday's episode of The Kardashians, almost 18 years to the day since she began her infamous prison sentence in West Virginia. 

The American businesswoman was invited by Kris Jenner to her LA home for a casual lunch date and to surprise her daughter, Khloe Kardashian, following her recent split from Tristan Thomas. The exciting appearance comes just a few months after Martha flew privately with eight trees, after discovering the stunning cercis canadensis in Oklahoma.

Stunned by Martha's presence, Khloe gushed in a cutaway interview about her 'love' for her VIP guest. 

"I love Martha Stewart," she said. "I love entertaining. I love organization. I love animals. I love flowers. I love all those things. I also love that Martha's not a snitch and it's like my kinda gal." 

The three women sat down with each other for lunch at Kris's £20 million mansion in the Hidden Hills, at which point Martha asks Khloe about her love life. 

"I don't read and watch all the stuff," the 81-year-old admits, before asking, "So do you have a husband?" 

Khloe then reveals that she just broke up with Tristan Thomas, the father of her daughter, True. "He had a baby with someone else while we were together," she explains, prompting Martha to respond, "Oh, that's not nice." The quick-witted reply prompted an eruption of laughter from the table, prompting Khloe to add, "It was very naughty." 

What didn't emerge in the trio's lunch date scene, however, was Martha Stewart's own history of 'naughty' behavior. The retail mogul and homemaker infamously went to jail in 2004, serving five months in a West Virginia correctional facility and another five months in home confinement. 

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Why did Martha Stewart go to jail? 

In July 2004, Martha Stewart was sentenced to five months imprisonment followed by a two-year period of supervised release after being found guilty of a number of felony charges related to inside trading. 

After her requests to serve her time in Connecticut or Florida were refused, she surrendered to the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia, in October 2004. She launched a vigorous post-conviction comeback after her release in March 2005, returning to daytime TV with the Martha Stewart Show and expanding her business ventures.