Valerie Bertinelli Reveals She Was Mistaken for a Sex Worker While Married to Eddie Van Halen

Valerie Bertinelli told a story this week that is equal parts rock-and-roll chaos and front-desk farce: the time a Brazilian hotel confused her for a sex worker while she was trying to meet Eddie Van Halen upstairs.

The Brazil mix-up, straight from Valerie

On Wednesday, May 6, on Ted Danson's podcast 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name,' Bertinelli, 66, looked back to the early '80s, when she was on hiatus from 'One Day at a Time' and newly married to Eddie. Van Halen was headed to South America; she tagged along and landed in Brazil to see Eddie, his brother Alex Van Halen, and the band between dates.

The setup was simple: Ed and Al went downstairs; Alex's then-wife, Valeri Kendall, suggested the women join. Everyone met at the bar. After a bit, the guys headed back up to their rooms. Valerie and Valeri said they'd catch up in a minute.

When they tried to take the elevator up, the hotel staff blocked them. Why? Because, as the employees explained, prostitutes weren't allowed on the upper floors. Bertinelli says she tried the logical defense — 'I have a wedding ring' — but no dice. No cell phones in those days either, so she had to step away, find a phone, and call Eddie in his room to come down and escort them.

'I've been mistaken for a prostitute before, or to be polite, a sex worker.'

How she ended up in Eddie's orbit in the first place

Bertinelli met Eddie when she was 20. Her brothers invited her to Shreveport, Louisiana, where her parents were living because her dad worked for General Motors. Van Halen was playing the local stadium. The plan from her brothers: hand out M&Ms to the band to score backstage passes. She hadn't heard of Van Halen yet, but she saw a photo of Eddie, thought he was extremely cute, and when she finally heard him play, it felt like he had something a little bit magical going on.

Where it all went after

Valerie and Eddie married in 1981 and were together until 2001. Their son, Wolfgang, was born in 1991. Eddie died in 2020 at 65. Bertinelli has also written about her last words to him in her book. She later married Tom Vitale in 2011; they split in 2021. In 2024, she dated Mike Goodnough for less than a year.

Quick recap

• Podcast: 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' with Ted Danson; aired Wednesday, May 6
• Valerie's age during the podcast: 66
• Timeframe of the story: early '80s, during a 'One Day at a Time' hiatus; she was newly married
• Location: Brazil, while Van Halen was touring South America
• Incident: Hotel staff wouldn't let Valerie Bertinelli and Valeri Kendall upstairs, insisting prostitutes weren't allowed on the upper floors; Valerie had to call Eddie from a landline to come get them
• How Valerie met Eddie: at 20, in Shreveport; her brothers roped her into handing out M&Ms to get backstage; she hadn't heard of Van Halen, but Eddie's photo and guitar work hooked her
• Life after: Married Eddie 1981–2001; son Wolfgang (1991); Eddie died in 2020 at 65; Valerie later married Tom Vitale (2011–2021) and dated Mike Goodnough briefly in 2024