Valerie Bertinelli and her boyfriend, Mike Goodnough, are both real weiners when it comes to their flirtatious banter.
After the twosome spent the day together enjoying hot dogs at Rutt’s Hut in Clifton, New Jersey, Goodnough took to social media to confess that he couldn’t help but focus on the couple’s meal instead of his leading lady.
“I only have eyes for @wolfiesmom, but the camera couldn’t help but stare at these two chili dogs,” Goodnough wrote via Threads on Tuesday, June 4, alongside a photo that zeroed in on two chilidogs while Bertinelli, 64, remained fuzzy in the background. “I think it just appreciates fine art… because those chili dogs were masterpieces.”
The former Food Network star didn’t take the slight personal, however, and instead used her best hot dog puns to joke around in the comments section. “Let’s be frank, honey. You were totally smitten 🤤 and relished those 2 puppies,” she quipped. “I suppose it could’ve been wurst but I do know that out of all the hotdogs in the world, you pickle me 😁.”
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images; Courtesy of Mike Goodnough/Instagram Following her divorce from Tom Vitale, Valerie Bertinelli found love again with writer Mike Goodnough. The One Day at a Time actress, who shares son Wolfgang with her late ex-husband, Eddie Van Halen, revealed in March 2024 that she was dating someone “very special” for the first time […]
Goodnough has no problems quickly matching her sense of humor. He replied, “Madam, please step away from the Dad Joke Machine. You haven’t been checked out on that equipment. Seriously though, even when I’m a brat, you aren’t chili to me. I know I’m the real wiener here.”
Fans of the duo couldn’t help but gush over the sweet exchange. “You two are so freaking cute together!!!! You are a hallmark movie waiting to be made,” one person commented, while another added: “You two are so freaking adorable!”
Bertinelli first shared that she was dating someone new in March before going Instagram official with Goodnough the following month. The actress used lyrics from Taylor Swift’s Travis Kelce-inspired The Tortured Poets Department song, “So High School,” to commemorate the special occasion, sharing a photo of the twosome wearing matching black-rimmed glasses.
“🎶 I’ll drink what you think and I’m high from smokin’ your jokes all damn night 🎶♥️ @therealhoarse,” Bertinelli wrote alongside the cute snap.
“They look happy, those two,” Goodnough replied via Instagram comment.
According to Bertinelli, she and Goodnough reconnected via Instagram after initially becoming friends on the platform a few years ago. The duo spoke on the phone for months before things turned romantic in January when they met up in New York City’s Central Park.
“It’s crazy the comfort level,” Bertinelli, told People last month. “It feels incredibly right. … I found joy first, and then a man entered my life.”
Their relationship comes on the heels of her 2022 divorce from Tom Vitale and the death of her first husband, Eddie Van Halen, who died in 2020 after a battle with throat cancer. The pair share son Wolfgang, 33.
Many celebrity splits have rocked Hollywood over the years, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin as well as Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. Tatum and Dewan’s love story began on the set of 2006’s Step Up, where they costarred as onscreen love interests. The duo tied the knot in 2009 and welcomed daughter Everly in 2013. […]
Bertinelli admitted to People that she’s “in love,” joking that she was “supposed to die with my six cats and my dog and very happily live the rest of my years alone — I’m good alone.”
Goodnough, for his part, shares a teenage son with his ex-wife. In April, he joked that while he initially liked staying under the radar, he was now rolling with the punches.
“When you like being the ‘anonymous boyfriend’ but the press finds your socials.” he captioned an Instagram video watching himself on the news. “Welp, so much for the staying anonymous thing. So, uh, hi… I guess. 👋.”