'She Doesn't Look the Same': Valerie Bertinelli's Appearance in a TikTok Video Ignites Mixed Reactions

The 65-year-old TV personality walked into a government office and left with a story so ironic, even she couldn't help but laugh — all captured in a TikTok moment.

Valerie Bertinelli recently shared a light-hearted moment that happened during a routine errand, igniting a buzz online. In a clip posted on June 3, 2025, the actress and celebrity chef explained how she was mistaken for someone who merely resembled her.

"People are adorable," Bertinelli said in the TikTok video, as she recounted the humorous exchange. She explained that she had gone to a government office earlier that day to handle paperwork.

After checking in and waiting for her number to be called, she completed her business and began to leave the office.

As she was walking out, something interesting happened. "This guy stops me, holds up his phone, and says, 'Hey ma'am, anybody ever tell you you look like her?'" she recalled. "And it's me. And I said, 'Yeah, all the time.'"

Bertinelli explained that others around her found the moment amusing. "Everybody waiting in line all started laughing. I don't know if they knew it was me, or they really thought it wasn't, and that I looked really a lot like Valerie Bertinelli. … We had a good laugh. And I love people," she concluded.

The TikTok video drew significant public attention. Viewers shared a variety of opinions in the comments — some complimented her current look, while others were surprised by her appearance.

One fan wrote, "Valerie haven't seen you in a while. You look awesome whatever your weight-loss journey is good for you [sic]." Another said, "You look like the little girl on One Day at a Time. You still look that young [sic]."

A different commenter shared, "I admire you — and I respect the fact that you are finally starting to show some aging and you stopped looking forever 21! You're beautiful and just perfect."

Someone else noted, "You're still as beautiful now as you were then…and you barely look older than you did then." One person commented, "You are a beautiful lady!! Inside and out!!" Another added, "Just want to say you are so naturally beautiful."

Meanwhile, responses on Facebook painted a more divided picture. One person divulged, "She doesn't look the same. What did she do to herself [sic]." Another questioned, "That is not Valerie. Unless she had a complete facelift."

The reactions to Bertinelli's appearance reflect a broader conversation she has openly addressed regarding aging, body image, and acceptance.

On December 3, 2024, Bertinelli posted a mirror selfie that quickly went viral. In the image, she posed in a black two-piece bikini while holding a box of hair dye in one hand, standing in front of a hotel bathroom mirror in Manhattan.

Along with the photo, she shared a candid caption about how her perspective on her body had shifted over time.

"At some point, I will talk about the madness my body has been through this year. But right now every lump, bump, wrinkle and saggy part of me just feels acceptance and simple appreciation to be standing in front of a mirror in a hotel bathroom in downtown Manhattan ready to color my roots late on a Monday night," she penned.

In a preview clip of her appearance on the December 12 episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," Bertinelli discussed the response she'd received to the viral selfie.

Asked by co-host Ross Matthews why she decided to share the image, Bertinelli responded, "Well, you know what, I have been coming to terms with my body now, aging, and I saw myself in the light and I went, 'Oh, I'm not mad at that.'"

Bertinelli then stood up and lifted her red jumper to reveal her stomach as Drew Barrymore clapped.

"Like all those, you know, planks and sit-ups I've done, you can see underneath the saggy skin," she joked. "But I have to say … it's 64 years of gravity. It's science. If you focus in on that picture, you're gonna see the little saggies and I'm proud of them because I'm 64. It's a belly."

She went on to discuss how people have criticized her body and appearance, either telling her she's too slim or that she's overweight.

"Why, why, why? And there's so many people, 'You're too thin, you're too fat, you're out of shape. You're in shape. Oh my God. I want those abs. Oh my God, you're ugly,'" she added.

"So what I've learned is my dad was wrong. You can't make everybody like you. And I'm okay with that, finally at this age," noted Bertinelli.

"I don't like that I was part of that manipulation of our brains of we have to look a certain way. We have to be a certain weight," she continued, adding that she has now learned to accept her body. "I'm a size 10. How is that too thin? I'm a size 10. How is that too fat? I'm just me. It's my body."

In late November 2023, the "Food Network" star, then 63, posted a video on TikTok, sharing her thoughts on getting older.

"Anybody else out there my age find it challenging to wrap their head around aging?" she began. "I'm in my 60s and factually, I have spent more time young than I have being old so I'm kind of adjusting…my body is adjusting for sure."

"I can still jog upstairs but I can't run upstairs. I can still do a nice deep squat but I gotta hold onto something to pull myself back up," she mentioned with a laugh. "I used to always be able to sit in child's pose when you're sitting on the back of your ankles. Boy, I can still do that but it's uncomfortable."

Bertinelli added in the caption that "aging is such a trip." In the clip, she also poked fun at herself while telling her followers that it's been crazy to see her skin starting to sag.

"I've seen parts of my body that are sagging that didn't use to sag," she said while laughing and pulling at the skin on her neck and arms. "Like, what the hell is that?! I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around this aging stuff because in my brain, I am still this young, goofy, let's-have-fun girl."

"It's just mind-blowing, aging," she quipped. "I'm just wondering if there's anyone else out there doing their best to adjust to being older when they've spent so much time being young."

Bertinelli's reflections on aging and self-acceptance have also coincided with personal changes in her romantic life, including the end of her relationship with writer Mike Goodnough.

In an Instagram post dated April 19, 2025, Goodnough confirmed their breakup, describing the experience as deeply painful. He explained that although the relationship had ended months prior, they had remained in close contact until more recently.

He shared that their split had been intensified by external factors outside of the relationship itself, but maintained that love was never the issue between them.

He wrote that the emotional toll of the breakup was unlike anything he had experienced before, stating that what he once thought was the most intense heartbreak now seemed minor in comparison.

Despite previously hoping for a more peaceful closure, Goodnough admitted he had reached out again with no response. "No answer is an answer though. I accept it," he added. Closing the chapter, he wrote that he would not speak on the matter again, ending with, "I've cried about this enough. It's time to move on."

Just two months earlier, on February 18, 2025, Bertinelli had shared her own reflections on past relationship mistakes through an Instagram post.

She acknowledged having been on both sides of a conflict and offered a perspective on how shame and defensiveness can hinder communication and healing.

Bertinelli emphasized the importance of empathy in conflict resolution, suggesting that shifting from blame to collaboration can improve understanding.

Using a relatable tone, she noted that people often react with defensiveness when they feel criticized, especially when behaviors stem from long-standing coping mechanisms.

She advised expressing feelings instead of accusations, saying that small changes in approach could help build unity rather than division. While acknowledging the challenge of staying calm when hurt, she pointed out that working together is a form of love.

Bertinelli concluded her post with humility and humor, writing, "Then again, what do I know. I have two failed marriages. Maybe don't take advice from me."

Valerie Bertinelli continues to navigate public scrutiny, personal growth, and aging with openness — sharing candid insights into her body image, relationships, and the realities of getting older.