This Is The Rudest Celebrity Food Network Host Valerie Bertinelli Ever Met
Actress and Food Network personality Valerie Bertinelli wants to be a person that's easy to relate to. She often shares cooking tips and recipes with her fans on her website in a bid to inspire them. "You might also find a conversation I've had with a familiar chef, a cool regional dish or product I stumbled upon and loved, cooking tips, lifestyle and personal care suggestions, or just a laugh or a story," she writes, adding that she hopes her site feels like "turn[ing] to a trusted friend."
However, the chef hasn't always been lucky in terms of meeting like-minded personalities and has a few unpleasant memories. According to US Magazine, she once recalled meeting a popular singer whom she particularly admired. Sadly, things didn't go well when they bumped into each other and Bertinelli was thoroughly let down by the incident. For her, the encounter drastically changed her opinion of the famous singer.
It was Christina Aguilera
As US Magazine reveals, Valerie Bertinelli was psyched to meet singer Christina Aguilera at a concert years ago. Recalling the incident, the Food Network star said, "I was a fan at that time — a long time ago — and I went up to her 'cause she was at a Van Halen concert, and I said, 'Oh my god, I think you're a beautiful singer.' And she just went like, 'Yeah, whatever.'" Bertinelli didn't feel too great about this interaction for obvious reasons. She couldn't figure out why Aguilera couldn't be kind to a fan.
Interestingly, Bertinelli has mentioned the incident more than once in interviews. A couple of days after Bertinelli spoke about it in 2014, Aguilera seemed to indirectly shoot back with her own response. She put up a photo of herself recording a song on Twitter and wrote, "In more important news..."
However, this isn't the first time that someone has called out the singer for being rude. According to SheKnows, several celebrities such as Avril Lavigne and Mariah Carey have noticed this as well and mentioned it in interviews. Actor Daniel Franzese was particularly upset with the singer. "It's actually funny because I met Christina Aguilera and I thought for sure that would be an exciting moment in my life," he said before adding that he sang her song 'Beautiful' in 'Mean Girls.' She dismissed it and walked away.
Bertinelli cares about establishing strong bonds
Bertinelli is someone who values friendships. On her blog, she reposted an essay about struggling to find adult friendships from writer Isidra Mencos, originally published on the site Better After 50. "Insecurity has been my Achilles heel," Mencos writes. "Growing up in a large family feeling invisible etched it in my brain... but my craving for meaningful connections was stronger than my anxiety." The writer describes how she met one of her dearest friends, Robin, because she was the mother of her son's best friend. While initially unsure, the writer decided to cast her insecurities aside and reach out. This paid off and the two ended up becoming good friends.
Bertinelli clearly finds Mencos' story important and inspiring. She also values long-term bonds in her own life — she stayed friends with Eddie Van Halen even after they divorced, and there was an episode of her Food Network show where she cooked a meal for three of her friends to celebrate 20 years of friendship.
She's not afraid to speak her mind
Another quality that makes Bertinelli distinctive is that she's not scared to talk about what's bothering her. Whether it's the fact that Christina Aguilera was rude to her or that she's had to deal with online trolls who've mercilessly attacked her in the past, the TV personality has chosen to take everything in stride. According to Good Housekeeping, she spoke up about the struggles she's faced online in an emotional Instagram video, explaining that strangers have been inconsiderate and commented on her weight. She said, "You're not being helpful, because when you see somebody who has put some weight on, my first thought is, 'That person is obviously going through some things."
Other celebrities reached out in support, including The Pioneer Woman, who said, "Beautiful Valerie, you inspire, you encourage, and you make people feel like everything is good and right." Singer Demi Lovato also posted a thoughtful and supportive comment for Bertinelli: "I love you. You said it yourself, you're already enough... I'm sorry you had to deal [with] this. Here for you always," they said.
Singer Kelly Clarkson also took on a troll who made a snarky comment about Bertinelli's weight. "Pity people that speak ill of others because while some of us r dancing, the others r too afraid," she wrote in tweet, proving that not all pop singers are as dismissive as Aguilera seems to be.