All The Tragic Reasons We Saw Valerie Bertinelli & Mike Goodnough's Split Coming

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Valerie Bertinelli fans are sure to have heard the news that she and Mike Goodnough are officially no longer together, and this development likely surprised some. However, there certainly were signs leading up to it.

Though neither Bertinelli nor Goodnough has given reasons for their split, many may recall that when the relationship started, the pair lived on opposite ends of the country. As Bertinelli told People in a very gushy interview in April 2024, she'd had some concerns about that right from the get-go. Even so, they'd decided to give love a chance. "We finally said, 'Why are we doing this? It's going to be challenging because it's long distance but why not ... You only live once," she mused to the outlet. Granted, there were some ground rules. In particular, they agreed to see each other every three weeks, at a minimum.

Evidently, somewhere along the way, that became a little harder to do. In a series of Instagram Stories, Goodnough shared some eyebrow-raising quotes, one of which read, "If you can go a whole day without talking to me, then go another" (via Closer Weekly). Yikes. Granted, Goodnough actually addressed what he'd shared in an Instagram post, this time using his own words. Pointing out that nothing he posted needed to be overly analyzed for hidden meanings, he wrote that a lot of the time, he was simply sharing things that popped up on his feed that he found interesting. "Any narrowness in what I post about is a result of the algorithm, not me looking for that specific kind of thing," he said — and honestly, fair enough. Even so, the content of the posts, coupled with the fact that Bertinelli mentioned long distance as one of their initial hurdles, certainly does make it seem as though it may have got in the way.

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As it turns out, the initial long-distance hurdle was something Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough could get around. After all, while they were long-distance at the start of their relationship, Bertinelli actually began spending a lot more time on the East Coast in the months after her April 2024 People interview. Though she was between projects for a while after her bitter fallout with the Food Network, the foodie was subsequently named as one of the regular lifestyle experts on "The Drew Barrymore Show." ICYMI, the show films in New York City. 

So, what was the problem? After all, their issue of distance wasn't an issue anymore. Enter, the word that has broken apart many a famous couple: scheduling. Even though Bertinelli's "Drew Barrymore Show" gig meant she was on the same coast as Goodnough, that wasn't the only thing she had going on. As she shared in an Instagram post documenting her gruesome arm injury, she'd actually sustained it while working on a secret project. No word on what the project was, or where it filmed ... but the post did come a day after her announcement that she was a voice actor on Disney Junior's "Robogobo." 

In light of all that, it's not exactly surprising that when People followed up with Bertinelli in July 2024, she shared that scheduling had complicated her love life and put a serious strain on her and Goodnough's three-week policy. "The summer has been booked full. It is challenging," she admitted. Goodnough might not have meant anything underhand by his Instagram Stories, but it's no surprise why it was top of mind.

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Speaking of Mike Goodnough's social media comments, another smoking gun as to why the two parted ways is that things got real public, real early on — and it backfired in a major way.

Though Valerie Bertinelli gave People an interview about her relationship in April 2024, a few months later she told the outlet that she wasn't keen to share quite as much anymore. "It's been so public and now I'm trying to pull back and make it so much less public, and try keep some stuff for us now ... It's like, 'Oh, but, yeah, I let the cat out of the bag.' I don't know. I would like to start keeping it between us and make it a little bit more special," she mused. 

Of course, Goodnough all but confirmed that the fact it was so public bothered him. In addition to his Instagram post telling fans to stop reading into what he shared, he also responded to those who left comments under the post saying they were hoping for a reconciliation for his and Bertinelli's benefit, and pointed out that that might not actually be the case. "People wanting something to work out because they like the idea of it isn't the same as caring about the two people in it," he wrote. It was a similar sentiment to the statement he gave People regarding the breakup: "Valerie and I are the only two people with insight into our relationship." Oof. Whether these two get back together or not, we're wishing both of them the best, individually. As for the relationship, it seems as though Bertinelli and Goodnough were star-crossed lovers.