Valerie Bertinelli Cut From ‘Kids Baking Championship’ After 12 Seasons

Valerie Bertinelli

After 12 seasons co-hosting the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship, Valerie Bertinelli says she wasn't invited back for Season 13.

Bertinelli shared the update in a sorrowful video posted Saturday on Instagram, just hours after she said she received confirmation that her role with the show is over. The news “really hurt my feelings,” the Hot in Cleveland star said.

“I know it’s not supposed to,” she continued. “Logically, I know that it’s business. Budget cuts, right?”

Even so, the One Day at a Time actress said it “really sucks” to leave a show that has meant so much to her.

The Food Network is currently airing episodes from the 12th season of Kids Baking Championship, which Bertinelli said were filmed in the summer of 2022. The show first launched in 2015.

In her video, Bertinelli described 2022 as her “apex year of h---.” While she didn’t delve into the specifics, that was the year she was going through a divorce after 11 years of marriage with businessman Tom Vitale. Their divorce was finalized in November 2022.

“I was going through it, and pretending everything was just fine, because that’s what you do,” she said. “Without sounding like a drama queen, the show saved my life.”

Bertinelli praised her co-host, pastry chef Duff Goldman, and other “really wonderful people” who worked to pull Kids Baking Championship together. She also applauded the young aspiring bakers who compete on the show, urging those who are eliminated from the competition to avoid feeling discouraged.

“To all the bakers that are coming in for the new season, even though I won’t be there, I’ll be with you in spirit,” she added.

At the Food Network, Bertinelli also served for years as the host of Valerie’s Home Cooking, which premiered in 2015. Bertinelli announced last year that her show would not continue beyond its 14th season.

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