Valerie Bertinelli Says 'Kids Baking Championship' Ouster 'Really Hurt My Feelings'
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Valerie Bertinelli got real last weekend in announcing she won’t be returning to Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship.”
“It really hurt my feelings, and I know it’s not supposed to,” she said in a video message on Instagram. “Logically, I know that it’s business ― budget cuts, right? But it really hurt my feelings to know that I’m not going to be asked back to be on ‘Kids Baking Championship.’ Really sucks.”
Bertinelli has co-hosted the baking competition with Duff Goldman since 2015. She said the current episodes were shot in 2022, which she called the “apex year of hell.” At the time, Bertinelli was going through a divorce from second husband Tom Vitale.
“Without sounding like a drama queen, the show saved my life,” she said.
“It was like a flotation device,” she continued. “So it really hurts that I won’t be able to go back and see everybody and say, ‘Hey! I made it through, hi!’”
The former child star on “One Day At A Time” said her biggest regret was not being able to tell colleagues and staffers “what they mean to me.”
The “Hot in Cleveland” actor also offered advice to future bakers on the show:
“Even though I won’t be there, I’ll be with you in spirit and I just want you to remember this: You are there for a reason. You’re some of the best bakers in America right now. And if you don’t make it to the next round remember, please always remember this: It’s not because you’re not a good baker, you just had a bad day. So always, always believe in yourself. Please do that for me and keep baking. I’ll miss you guys.”
HuffPost has reached out to the Food Network for comment.
In April 2023, Bertinelli delivered other bad news on the professional front: Her Food Network show “Valerie’s Home Cooking” had been canceled after 14 seasons.
Valerie Bertinelli of "Kids Baking Championship" and co-host Duff Goldman during a 2019 culinary demonstration.
