Valerie Bertinelli’s Younger Boyfriend Celebrates Her 64th Birthday with a Sweet Gesture

Yesterday, Michael Goodnough, boyfriend of TV star Valerie Bertinelli, took to Instagram to show what he did to celebrate her 64th birthday.

The East Coast writer, known as Hoarse Whisperer on social media, shared a picture of a birds-eye view of the North American continent from the world map. In the zoomed-in picture, a plane is seen flying from Newark, NJ to Los Angeles.

The picture of the plane and the map indicate that Goodnough flew across the country to be with Bertinelli in person for her special day.

“Sure, the plane is full and the cabin is eleventy-thousand degrees and I’m in Seat 51G…but it’s @wolfiesmom’s birthday and she’s waiting on the other side and it feels like I’m the one getting the present here,” captioned Goodnough.

In response, Bertinelli took to the comment section of the Instagram post to express, “How do I 🖤 this eleventy hundred times? Happy birthday to meeeeee 🥰.”

In addition to his Instagram post, Goodnough also shared a picture of Bertinelli on his Instagram Story. The image shows Bertinelli posing for a picture at an event playfully poking her tongue out and giving a cheeky wink to the camera. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” reads the text sticker Goodnough attached to the picture.

Bertinelli has found herself in a good space as of late—with a new beau who continues to profess his devotion to her and the success of her cookbook “Indulge.”

Feeling immensely grateful for the wonderful things in her life, Bertinelli shared a recent video of herself going for a walk and joyfully spinning around.

“When I go on my walks, I do a lot of reflecting […] Reflecting on this week and the kindness all of you have shown me […] I just wanted to send out a huge thank you for supporting me,” Bertinelli wrote.

Her caption went further to thank everyone for their “sweet responses” to her “life updates.” Bertinelli ended her message by reiterating the love she has for her fans, whom she lovingly refers to as a “community.”

Accompanying the video with a song from Taylor Swift’s new album “The Tortured Poets Department,” Bertinelli added, “Thank you for sticking around. Through the challenging and through the sweet 💜.”

Feeling good is something that Bertinelli encourages everyone to do. “Indulge in your life every single day. Indulge in the people that you love […] Indulge in your God blessed life because it’s the only one you have,” stated the “Hot in Cleveland” star.

Indulging in what her life has to offer is exactly what Valerie Bertinelli has been doing, especially where her relationship with Goodnough is concerned.

As of late, she’s been dishing on the details about their relationship, like when she shared the first-ever picture of her and Goodnough on Instagram, which we previously reported on April 22, 2024.

Bertinelli’s heartwarming photo showed her bubbling with excitement as she cozied up next to her boyfriend, Michael Goodnough. Her caption included a few lines from one of Taylor Swift’s new songs, “So High School.”

When fans caught wind of the photo, many of them pointed out how much Goodnough bears a striking resemblance to Bertinelli’s ex-husband, legendary rock artist Eddie Van Halen.

“I think he kinda looks like Ed,” stated one person. Similarly, another asserted, “He bears a slight resemblance to Eddie.” Others made comments about how good they look together as a couple. “Omg they look like they were made for one another,” swooned a fan. Another praised: “Look great together!”

However, amid the compliments, a social media user expressed concern, writing, “I hope she’s gotten completely over her deceased ex Eddie. The last ex didn’t have a chance because all she talked about was Eddie Van Halen.” Nonetheless, most supported Bertinelli and Goodnough.

Bertinelli’s partner also shared the same image on X. Alongside the endearing snap of the couple, who both wore glasses, the writer wrote: “We were coming off a 14-hour day, were both exhausted, and hadn’t eaten since lunch. She took this pic with her phone across a hotel bar.”

He concluded his caption, stating, “If you’re going to post a first pic, it might as well be one where ya ain’t nothing but happy. — with @Wolfiesmom.”

Though the world now knows that Bertinelli and Goodnough are in a relationship—having gone social media official with both of their posts—she had already appeared with him before.

Earlier this month on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Bertinelli was seen walking with Goodnough. A photo of the duo showed him protectively holding onto Bertinelli’s back as the two walked together outside the studio.

Bertinelli posted this photo on her Threads account and captioned it, “Hiding in plain sight 🤭.” In response to his beloved girlfriend’s post, Goodnough quipped, “No idea who the security guy is but you look great,” prompting a flurry of threads from social media users.

Although Bertinelli has found bliss with her new love, she previously admitted that Van Halen was her soulmate even though they did not work out.

In a past interview, she spoke about her late ex and the regrets she faced in her life. “I wish I could have spent more time with Ed. I think you have more than one soulmate […] But I think with Ed […] our love turned into something more about soul love,” Bertinelli disclosed.

However, Valerie Bertinelli also got real about the issues she and Van Halen faced as a couple. “We weren’t really good to each other at a lot of points in our lives because we met so young and were very immature,” she shared.

She ended her statement on a high note, expressing relief and gratitude that the two could reach a resolution and find themselves in a “beautiful place” before his passing.

Although she wishes he were “still here,” Bertinelli now has Goodnough by her side to ease her heartache. The two may have only officially confirmed their relationship with a joint photo recently, but they had already long been hinting at their romance, which we previously reported on April 18, 2024.

The 63-year-old’s romance with the captivating, yet mysterious figure has continued to spark joy and intrigue among her admirers. Whispers about her new beau began to crescendo when he previously took to social media to post a screenshot of an article from The Sun. It speculated about his identity being linked romantically to Bertinelli.

The post featured a picture of a man with light eyes and distinguished salt-and-pepper hair. Adding to the plot were Goodnough’s playful annotations that read: “Breaking news in The Sun” and “Big if true.”

Bertinelli engaged with the 53-year-old’s post in the comment section with humor and affection. She posted a gif of a woman spitting out the contents of her coffee mug in a fit of laughter.

Fans also took to the comment section to express joy and support for the couple. One fan exclaimed, “It’s taken them this long to figure this out? My P.I. skills deduced this about 2 hours after she announced it. Clues people!!!🕵.”

Another shared, “😂 I’m so happy that you put that smile back on her face. She deserves it. I’ll bet you both do. Wishing you both all the happiness! 💕💕.” A third comment stated, “You two!🥳🥳🥳 Makes me believe in love again.❤️❤️❤️ Wish you both nothing but peace, love & light✌🏻❤️☀️.”

Adding another layer of depth to their love story, Bertinelli had gushed over her beau on “The Drew Barrymore Show.” When she spoke about her cookbook and self-healing, she shared exciting details about her love life.

When asked why she looked so radiant and “hot” these days, Bertinelli responded, “I got maybe 20 to 25 years left so I wanna […] Indulge and have a flippin’ good time.”

She then described Goodnough—ten years her junior—in glowing terms. Not only did she boast about how physically attractive he is but she also labeled him “thoughtful and kind and ridiculously talented.”

When discussing the beginning of their relationship, Bertinelli divulged, “I actually started following him on Twitter back in, 2016 or 17. He has a really amazing Twitter following. He’s very funny, very acerbic, and political at that time.”

“And then in the beginning of January, we just started DMing every day. Then we started texting, then we started calling each other, talking for five hours a day and then face timing and then I met him in New York a month ago and I’m just gone,” she continued.

Drew Barrymore remarked that it sounded like a movie romance. Barrymore then asked Valerie Bertinelli whether her relationship would be bi-coastal, to which Bertinelli replied, “Yes, I would love to be here more often.”

Before her candid revelation on Barrymore’s show, Goodnough had already started hinting at their relationship through cryptic posts. In March, he uploaded a video dressed incognito in a black wig and dark shades, appearing to be scouting from behind a brick wall.

The video included a Daily Mail article headline which mentioned: “Valerie Bertinelli reveals she is DATING a mystery man…” It was also accompanied by The Outfield’s song, “Mystery Man.” The caption posted alongside the video says, “Could be anyone, really.”

Later that month, Goodnough posted a selfie on a plane, with a woman who looked like Bertinelli in the background. In another post in April 2024, he shared a photo of a news display featuring a People magazine with Bertinelli on the cover.

“I Fell in Love When I Least Expected It!” was written in one of the headlines of the magazines. Bertinelli’s boyfriend’s caption expressed, “Just browsing the magazine rack. As one does.”

This prompted responses like “You two are the next Taylor and Travis! ❤️❤️,” with another fan adding, “Especially for us Boomers ♥️.” Someone else swooned, “So happy for you both — love this modern love story 💗.”

The next day, he posted a photo of himself reading the same magazine on a plane, captioned, “Long flights are a great time to catch up on your reading.” A user commented, “You look like a writer from the East Coast,” to which Bertinelli responded, posting a “🤭” emoji, while another fan said, “I know who [your] bf is!!! 😄💖.”

On April 9, 2024, Goodnough, who like her, has a son, shared another photo that hinted at their relationship. His hand was covered in what appeared to be animal fur shedding. Someone quipped, “Well you are w Wolfies Mom lol,” on this post.

What was particularly interesting is that the backdrop featured a floral patterned carpet that strikingly resembled one seen in Bertinelli’s home in a video from September 2022. This connection with Bertinelli’s known love for her cats subtly suggested their shared domestic life.