Is There Trouble in Paradise for Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough?
Let’s talk about Valerie Bertinelli, the beloved actress who’s made us laugh for decades. Recently, her boyfriend, Mike Goodnough, has sparked some chatter with a few cryptic posts on Instagram. It seems like things might not be all sunshine and rainbows for this couple. Mike, who’s 53 years old, shared a quote on his Instagram Stories that definitely raised some eyebrows. It went something like this: "If you can go a whole day without talking to me, then go another." That’s a pretty heavy statement, right? And it was posted on November 2. Now, this might not mean anything, but it sure has people talking.
But wait, there’s more. Another quote Mike shared said, "If someone is fine without you, then let them be fine without you." Oof. These words don’t exactly scream "relationship bliss," do they? And to add fuel to the fire, Mike also unfollowed Valerie on Instagram. Now, I know what you're thinking—people unfollow each other all the time—but when it's a couple, it tends to catch attention. So, what’s the deal? Is this the end of Valerie and Mike’s love story?
Mike Goodnough Clears the Air—Kind Of
Now, Mike wasn’t about to let the internet read too much into his posts. The very next day, he took to Instagram again to clarify things—or at least try to. He wrote a pretty lengthy message where he said, "Y’all, for real, the things I post aren’t real-time coded subtweets of my own life." He went on to explain that he posts things for a variety of reasons, not just because they’re tied to his personal life. "I post things that resonate with me as wise or thoughtful or lessons learned," he added. "I post things that I think will strike a chord with other people."
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Mike also mentioned that sometimes the content he shares might resonate with him because it’s relevant to something recent or on his mind. However, he clarified that his main reason for posting isn’t to send out secret messages about his life. He emphasized, "When it comes to stories in particular, what I post is largely influenced by what Instagram serves up to me. The algorithm is very stubborn and resists even active efforts to get it to serve a wider diversity of material." So, he’s blaming the algorithm for any narrowness in his posts. Interesting, right?
What About That Recent Daytime Emmy Trip?
Just a week and a half before these cryptic posts, Mike seemed to be gushing about Valerie on his personal blog, Hoarse Whisperings. He wrote a heartfelt post about accompanying the star of Hot in Cleveland to the 2024 Daytime Emmys. Mike shared, "I wanted her to have a week where she could be proud of herself and could just bask in something that was hers and about her, knowing that her having that moment was what I wanted too. And it was." He wanted Valerie to feel that pride deeply, not just superficially.
He even touched on a TikTok video they made together, describing it as embodying the happiness he feels being with Valerie. Mike wrote, "When I watch that silly little jump-cut video what I see are smiles at the very peak of that range: pure happiness. Pure unadulterated happiness. Just happiness down to the soul allowed out without restraint or because it couldn’t be contained." It seems like Mike was truly in a good place with Valerie just a short while ago. So, what changed?
Earlier this year, Valerie, who’s 64, revealed she had a new man in her life to People magazine on April 1. But she kept his identity a secret—at least for a little while. A few weeks later, Mike decided to come clean on his blog, sharing, "Valerie and I are together and have been for a while now. I am Valerie Bertinelli’s boyfriend … and that may well be among the most surreal sentences I’ve ever pecked out. But it’s true … and nothing about our actual relationship seems surreal. It just seems … good … lucky … a gift."
In June, Valerie shared a rare photo of Mike on Instagram, opening up about the challenges of being in a new relationship after a toxic one. She wrote, "I have heard that being in a relationship after healing from a toxic one will bring out some triggers you didn’t know were still buried. And ain’t that the truth? Learning to trust again after having that trust destroyed is not an easy thing. Those demons want to protect you from being vulnerable and emotionally exposed ever again." But she added that Mike was worth fighting for. "This man is worth fighting the rest of my demons for. He is the most thoughtful, kind, gentle, intelligent, funny, and grateful man I’ve ever met."
