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11 months ago
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Valerie Bertinelli is opening up about being cut from Food Network‘s Kids Baking Championship after 12 seasons of hosting and judging the show.
In a video she shared on Instagram, Bertinelli said she would not return to the competition series amid cuts at the network.
“I’ve been avoiding facing what I got confirmation last night and I didn’t want to talk about it last night [because] I wanted to sleep on it because it really hurt my feelings,” the Hot in Cleveland alum said in the video she shared on Saturday, Jan. 20. “I know it’s not supposed to. Logically, I know it’s business [and] 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 and Duff Goldman have hosted the show since 2015. The most recent season is airing right now, with Bertinelli saying she filmed these episodes back in 2022 “my apex year of hell.”
The One Day at a Time alum was going through a divorce at the time and in the video said she was “going through it and pretending everything was just fine,” adding, “Because that’s what you do! And without sounding like a drama queen, the show saved my life.”
She continued, “Working with all those really wonderful people and feeling productive and knowing I could spread some kindness and not just wallow in my hell and just try to keep my head above water. It helped me, it was like a flotation device.”
Bertinelli is saddened that she will not have an opportunity to return to the set of the show following her divorce being finalized.
“It really hurts that I won’t be able to go back and see everybody and say, ‘Hey, I made it through!’ I think I’m [the] most sad that I won’t be able to tell everybody what they mean to me,” she said.
Bertinelli acknowledged her co-host and the crew from Kids Baking Championship and gave some words of encouragement to all the bakers taking on the challenge.
“Oh my God, these people work so hard to give you an amazing show,” she said. “And all of those kids bakers that I got to watch grow up: I feel so lucky. And to all the bakers [who] are coming in for the new season, even though I won’t be there, I’ll be with you in spirit. I just want you to remember this: You are there for a reason [and] you’re some of the best bakers in America right now and if you don’t make it to the next round, please always remember [that] it’s not because you’re not a good baker, you just had a bad day.”
Deadline reached out to Food Network representatives for comment but didn’t immediately get a response.
Last year, Bertinelli also took to social media to announce Food Network had canceled her show Valerie’s Home Cooking after 14 seasons without an explanation to her.
Watch Bertinelli in the video below.
