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Valerie Bertinelli was axed from numerous Food Network shows after her contract expiredCredit: Getty

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The TV star (left) previously hosted Kids’ Baking Championship alongside Duff Goldman (middle) since the show’s inception in 2015Credit: Getty
Valerie confirmed via an Instagram post last January that she had not been asked back for Season 13 of the long-running series after her contract expired in 2022.

The Hot in Cleveland star was featured in Season 12, as episodes were taped back-to-back with Season 11 in the summer of 2022, shortly before her deal with the network ran its course.

However, the actress won’t appear in the upcoming thirteenth season, premiering on Tuesday, and has been replaced as co-host by new Holiday Baking Championship judge, Kardea Brown.

Valerie signed a multi-series deal with the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned channel in 2018, which expired in 2021 and was extended for one year.

Food Network ultimately decided not to renew the One Day at a Time star’s exclusive deal, putting an end to her involvement on the Kids’ Baking Championship, according to a January 2024 report by Variety.

“Her deal expired, they opted not to renew it. They could have come to me with an offer just for ‘Kids.’ They never did. Simple as that,” Valerie’s manager, Marc Schwartz, told the outlet.

Insiders also told the publication that the individuals who pushed to not renew Valerie’s contract in 2022 no longer work for the Food Network.

Additionally, they claimed that an offer wasn’t extended to the two-time Golden Globe winner to continue her co-hosting gig on the Kids’ Baking Championship because they believed she wouldn’t accept it if they didn’t renew her multi-series deal overall.

Valerie, who previously hosted Valerie’s Home Cooking and Family Food Showdown, told her social media followers that she didn’t get asked to return due to “budget cuts.”

She also pointed out that the latest season’s episodes were filmed during her “apex year of hell,” in the midst of her divorce from her ex-husband, Tom Vitale.

The TV personality shared a heartfelt message about her time on Kids’ Baking Championship, saying it helped her through some tough times.

“Without sounding like a drama queen, the show saved my life,” Valerie said in an Instagram video.

“Just working with all of 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. So, it really hurts that I won’t be able to go back and see everybody and say, ‘Hey, I made it through,’” the Touched by an Angel star added.

She later clarified in a post on X that she suspected that Food Network would sever ties with her but claimed that she never received a formal notice from the network.

“There were never any talks, so no talks could be stalled. I got an inkling I might not be asked back when I saw I was not in the holiday specials.

“I got a text by a third party on Friday that told me I would not be back. LOL I was basically ghosted,” Valerie revealed.

She added in a follow-up post that she didn’t have any bad blood with anyone at the network, but she “wouldn’t tolerate lies.”

Valerie’s former co-host, Duff, addressed her absence from the spin-off series, Baking Championship: Next Gen, in an Instagram post last week.

Kardea also joins the Ace of Cakes star as the co-host of the new series, and Duff warned devoted Valerie fans to be kind amid the changeup.

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He also spoke about his former co-host’s departure, saying, “Things happen,” and the “business is crazy,” but he will continue his friendship with Valerie.

Baking Championship: Next Gen premieres on Food Network on Monday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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Valerie said the network didn’t ask her back following her contract’s end in 2022Credit: Getty

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Duff now co-hosts the show and the spin-off series, Baking Championship: Next Gen with Kardea BrownCredit: Getty

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Valerie revealed she was disappointed over the network’s decision, and claimed she was ‘ghosted’Credit: Getty