Who Is Valerie Bertinelli's Boyfriend? All About Mike Goodnough

Valerie Bertinelli has found love again and is not afraid to share it.

The former Food Network host first announced she was dating new man Mike Goodnough in March 2024. The news comes after she finalized her divorce from Tom Vitale in November 2022. Bertinelli was also married to the late Eddie Van Halen until their split in 2007.

“I’m in love,” she told PEOPLE. “It’s a seesaw of emotions because I was adamant that I would never fall in love again.”

Timeline of Valerie Bertinelli and Tom Vitale’s relationship

Bertinelli kept Goodnough’s identity a secret until April 2024, when the couple first went public. Soon after, Goodnough made their romance official on his Substack.

“I’m Valerie Bertinelli’s boyfriend… and that might be one of the most surreal lines I’ve ever uttered. But it’s true… and nothing about our real relationship seems surreal. It just seems… well… good luck… a gift,” he wrote on his Substack called Hoarse Whisperings.

So who is Valerie Bertinelli’s boyfriend? Here’s everything you need to know about Mike Goodnough and his relationship with the cookbook author.

He is a writer

Goodnough is a lifestyle writer, mostly posting on his Substack, Hoarse Whispers. Calling himself the Hoarse Whisperer, Goodnough shares his thoughts as well as personal revelations about fatherhood and events in his life.

He first became known for posting content on X (formerly known as Twitter) where he has over 400,000 followers. He is in September 2019 shared his background storywriting that he worked in marketing and strategic communications as a freelancer for advertising agencies and marketing consultancies.

However, after his son was born, Goodnough quit his full-time job and took on as many projects as he could while prioritizing raising his child.

“It’s less fun dealing with the bureaucracy and the business of increasingly corporate ad agencies, so about 12 years ago, the day before my son was born, I got out,” he said. wrote on X.

He has now focused on his Substack, where most of his content is paid for and followers can subscribe to a newsletter.

He is the father of one child

Goodnough had a son with his first wife in 2007. The two separated when their son was 2, and Goodnough has said his child is his priority above all else, rearranging his career to help raise him, wrote on X.

“I made a conscious decision to give him a softer, more loving energy than a typical father,” he wrote. “I potty trained him and taught him to read. I tucked him in and made up fantastic stories about Leo the lion, the laziest lion on Long Island. And I loved every minute of it.”

He and Bertinelli met online

Valerie Bertinelli at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards on April 3, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Bertinelli had no plans to look for love again after the divorce, she told PEOPLE in April 2024, but when Goodnough came into her life, she changed her mind.

“I should have died with my six cats and a dog and lived out the rest of my years very happily on my own – I’m fine on my own,” she said. “My stomach is spinning. This shouldn’t have happened.”

Bertinelli and Goodnough first met when she befriended the writer after exchanging messages on Instagram several years before they started dating.

“It was purely platonic, but there was something about him that I associated with what I was familiar with,” she said. “The comfort level. He felt like a kindred spirit.”

After their first messages, “he would DM me every few months,” Bertinelli said, and in January 2024, things got heated when they spoke on the phone for the first time.

“I was very careful, and so was he,” she said. “His voice had the most beautiful color. I said, ‘Oh, I can’t talk to that man right now because he’s really hot.’ We both had strong feelings, trying not to admit them.”

They live on opposite shores

The couple’s relationship began long distance as Bertinelli lives in Los Angeles, while Goodnough lives on the East Coast. However, two months after they first started having long phone conversations, the two met in New York in March for a romantic date.

“I’m driving to meet him, and he’s already at the hotel standing outside,” she told PEOPLE about their first meeting. “I just jump out of the car, run to him and hug him. It was the best hug ever. I immediately felt like I was at home. This is where I belong, in this man’s arms. Everything feels incredibly right.”

Since then, the two have instituted a “three-week rule” to ensure they continue to see each other often.

“It never goes longer than we don’t see each other,” she explained. “At the end of the day, it’s about finding the joy in life and sharing it.”

Goodnough also wrote about joining Bertinelli while doing press for her cookbook, Let yourself goon your Substack.

“It’s been a long week – mostly for her. I knew it would be. I knew we wouldn’t have much ‘time together,’ he wrote. “In a way, I’ve been ‘with her’ less than when we’re on opposite coasts and have easier schedules. And that was fine.”

He hinted at their relationship on the Internet

Valerie Bertinelli attends the 32nd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards on March 10, 2024 in West Hollywood, California.

Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

While Bertinelli kept Goodnough’s name and identity under wraps, he shared glimpses and hints that he was her partner on his Substack and social media. After PEOPLE dubbed him the East Coast Writer, Goodnough cheekily posted a picture himself on X working on a laptop, it says, “On the east coast it says.”

Later he published more articles, including a photo of himself reading Bertinella’s cookbook and a photo of the book lying on the coffee table as he tuned in to her appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

Bertinelli took the clues to the next level when she reposted his Substack post about supporting her on her press trip on her Instagram Stories, writing, “I just can’t stand this man🥹😭.” She tagged him on Instagram, hinting at his identity.

They made their relationship public in April 2024

Christopher Peterson / SplashNews

Shortly after he went out with Bertinelli while she was filming The Drew Barrymore ShowGoodnough confirmed that he was dating her in one of his posts on Substack.

He addressed the speculation in a post titled “Rumors, Rumors, Rumors,” joking that he called Bertinelli to ask her if they were in a relationship. He acknowledged how “surreal” the rumors were, referring to her as “the one who won two Emmys and two Golden Globes; hosted her own cooking show for fourteen seasons; and authored six books including a #1 New York Times bestseller. That.”

“Valerie fucking Bertinelli… going out… with me!?! I know. funny. How would that even happen?” he joked before confirming they were in a relationship.

He and Bertinelli made their red carpet debut in June 2024

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

The couple made their red carpet debut at the June 2024 Daytime Emmy Awards.

“I mean, there’s not much better than seeing someone you love get recognition, get roses,” Goodnough told PEOPLE on the red carpet, referring to Bertinelli’s three nominations.

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Source: HIS Education