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Valerie Bertinelli Claims No "Kids" Talks; Food Network "Ghosted" Her

Ex-Kids Baking Championship host Valerie Bertinelli says there were never talks about her returning and that Food Network "ghosted" her.

Over the weekend, longtime host & judge Valerie Bertinelli confirmed that she wouldn't be returning to Food Network's Kids Baking Championship for its 13th season to co-host with Duff Goldman. Though having been with the competition series since its premiere back in 2015, Bertinelli shared that budget cuts resulted in the network not asking her to return. Now, Bertinelli is pushing back on a report in PEOPLE from sources claiming that Bertinelli was looking to return by that "talks stalled" with Food Network, reportedly resulting in her departure. "This is a tad misleading. There were never any talks, so no talks could be stalled," she shared on Twitter/X. In fact, Bertinelli claims that the network "ghosted" her and that she learned she wasn't coming back from a third party. "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," she added.

While Bertinelli made it clear over the weekend and earlier today that she wishes nothing but the best for the show, she also felt it was important to get her side of the matter out there to the public. "I have zero ill will toward anyone at FN, I enjoyed every single moment I worked for them, and they are all lovely, kind, hard-working people. And I understand business is business. But I won't tolerate lies. I am a lot of things, but I am not greedy, nor am I a liar," Bertinelli wrote.

"I've been avoiding facing what I got confirmation last night, and I didn't want to talk about it last night [because] I wanted to sleep on it because it really hurt my feelings," shared Bertinelli in an Instagram video that was posted over the weekend. "I know it's not supposed to. Logically, I know it's business [and] budget cuts, right? But it really hurt my feelings to know that I'm not going to be asked back to be on 'Kids Baking Championship' really sucks."

Bertinelli shared how working on the series helped her deal with the pain from a divorce that she was going through. "Working with all 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." But when it comes to the young bakers who are taking the challenge now and will continue to pursue their baking dream in the future, Bertinelli wanted them to know that they should continue racing for their star.

"Oh my God, these people work so hard to give you an amazing show," she shared. "And all of those kids bakers that I got to watch grow up: I feel so lucky. And to all the bakers [who] are coming in for the new season, even though I won't be there, I'll be with you in spirit. I just want you to remember this: You are there for a reason [and] you're some of the best bakers in America right now, and if you don't make it to the next round, please always remember [that] it's not because you're not a good baker, you just had a bad day." Here's a look at Bertinelli's video message:

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