Valerie Bertinelli Opens Up: Feeling ‘Really Hurt’ Over Departure from Food Network’s ‘Kids Baking Championship’

Valerie Bertinelli won’t be co-hosting the Kids Baking Championship on Food Network anymore. She, along with Duff Goldman, used to be part of the show. Unfortunately, she got the news on Friday that she was let go. Valerie shared this sad update with her fans in a video on Instagram the next day.

She mentioned that it hurt her feelings, even though she knows it’s just business – things like budget cuts. People reported that they did discuss her returning to the show after her contract ended, but talks stopped when her team felt she deserved more.

Even though it’s part of business, Valerie, who is 63 years old, shared that Kids Baking Championship meant a lot to her, especially the current season.

 

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A post shared by Valerie Bertinelli (@wolfiesmom)

Right now, Food Network is showing season 12 of Kids Baking Championship, and they filmed it in the summer of 2022. Valerie Bertinelli, who hosted the show, referred to that year as the “apex year of h***” because it was a tough time for her. That was when she was going through a divorce with Tom Vitale.

She shared that during that challenging period, she was pretending everything was okay, as people often do. Kids Baking Championship, in a way, saved her. Now, it’s sad for her because she won’t be able to go back and tell everyone, “Hey, I made it through.”

After that, Bertinelli had positive things to say about her co-host and the “really wonderful people” she worked with during the past 12 seasons.

She sent a message to the new bakers joining the show, expressing that even though she won’t be there physically, she’ll be there with them in spirit.