Why Valerie Bertinelli Just Asked TikTok To Send Good Vibes

Valerie Bertinelli has been charming television audiences since 1972. That's when her first commercial, an Easter campaign for J.C. Penny first aired, according to a TikTok video Bertinelli posted on April 18. In the video, she has a favor to ask of her fans. It might sound like a small favor, one that requires nothing more than thinking good thoughts. However, the ask resonates as extraordinarily meaningful to the Emmy- and Golden Globe award-winning actress and bestselling author, whose most recent book - a memoir about Bertinelli's journey to self-love over a lifetime of being held up to Hollywood's beauty standards – came out in January 2022, per Amazon. 

"Fifty years," Bertinelli muses as the video opens more than 50 Easters after that first commercial. "Fifty years of feeling the same feeling over and over and over again in this business," she recounts of the anticipation, hope, and anxious feelings that tend to arise in her whenever she is waiting to hear if a project's been greenlit, she's gotten the part, or whether the viewing public loves it as much as she does. 

"Here I am 50 years later, feeling all those feelings," she confesses with her trademark truthy vulnerability, looking straight into the camera from behind her eyeglasses, her hair sleep-touseled, her makeup minimal. And that's where the favor comes in. Here's why Valerie Bertinelli has asked TikTok to send good vibes.

Valerie Bertinelli presented her humble ask to fans via TikTok just about 50 years to the day when she made her television debut in a J.C. Penny commercial. "I just realized sitting on this beautiful relaxing quiet Easter day that I am still as anxious as when I did that commercial 50 years ago because I'm waiting, anticipating that NBC will pick up 'Hungry' and send us to series." 

"Hungry" is Bertinelli's current NBC comedy pilot, in which she plays a restaurant owner dealing with "food issues" while seeking love and personal fulfillment, per Deadline. Although she doesn't address it in her TikTok post, the pilot clearly touches upon some of the things that Bertinelli has been addressing in her personal and professional life as an actress and foodie in Hollywood. 

"Hopefully, within this next week, we will get the word the word that they're going to pick us up," she adds before asking for "good thoughts and good feelings" that NBC will pick up the pilot — and this week, if possible. "It will be a really great 50-year anniversary," Bertinelli adds before wishing everyone a "Happy Easter." Well, when she puts it that way, who could say no?

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).