What We Know About Valerie Bertinelli's Ex Mike Goodnough

Less than a year after Valerie Bertinelli and her writer beau Mike Goodnough made their relationship public, news broke that the couple had broken up in November 2024. The short-lived romance raises questions about how Bertinelli and Goodnough met and how their relationship dissolved so quickly.They connected over Instagram, but it didn't become romantic until they started having phone calls. As Bertinelli resides on the West Coast and Goodnough on the East Coast, they began a long-distance relationship, which they kept private until they went public in April 2024. 

Goodnough led a relatively quiet life before he was introduced to fame through Bertinelli's lavish lifestyle. As a writer, he posts primarily online, where subscribers pay to access his work. He works under the alias "Hoarse Whisperings." He transitioned into this line of work after gaining traction on X (formerly know as Twitter), which enabled him to leave his corporate job before his son was born and focus on fatherhood and writing. On his website, he regularly wrote about his relationship with Bertinelli throughout their time together, but he also delved into the topics of parenthood and other lifestyle content. 

The distance was challenging, and even when they were together, Bertinelli had a very busy schedule. "In some ways, I was 'with her' less than when we are on opposite coasts," Goodnough wrote about the time he joined her for a press tour (via People). Bertinelli's friends also had concerns about her new partner. "She essentially became involved with a fan rather than someone who genuinely wanted to know her for who she is," a source told the Daily Mail. Due to the distance and concerns about Goodnough's motives, Bertinelli decided to end things before they progressed further.

After Valerie Bertinelli and Mike Goodnough broke up, Goodnough posted quotes to his Instagram Story that seemed like they were about the split. "If you can go a whole day without talking to me, then go another," one Instagram Story read. In another, he shared, "If someone is fine without you, then let them be fine without you" (via Closer Weekly). However, in later posts, he maintained those quotes were not about the breakup, insisting he makes posts for all kinds of reasons.

For her part, Bertinelli's social media made it clear that she was at peace with the breakup. She posted in November 2024, celebrating two years since her life-changing divorce from Tom Vitale, but didn't forget to honorably mention Goodnough. "Thank you for being such a big part of my growth this year. I'm grateful for our experience and I'm so grateful I met you," she wrote to Goodnough in the caption. Even though their relationship didn't last, Goodnough seemed to have a profound impact on Bertinelli's journey.

Bertinelli's positive energy may have helped lift Goodnough's spirits. After their breakup, Goodnough began a tradition on his Instagram: Every Friday, he requests his followers share some good news in the comments. The first time he decided to do this, he captioned the post, "Ending the week with some shared joy no matter how despairing the news." He and his followers have kept the tradition going, sharing their big and small wins every week. That's one way to spread some joy!