Valerie Bertinelli’s Son Wolfgang Van Halen Reacts After Trolls Mock Her Weight

Dozens of celebrities offered their support after Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli posted a tearful response to a troll who mocked her weight, including her son, musician Wolfgang Van Halen. After a troll told Bertinelli she should lose weight, Bertinelli, 61, said the comment was “not f—ing helpful.” Van Halen, Bertinelli’s son with the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen, reminded his mother she is “perfect.”

“You’re perfect the way you are, Ma. I love you,” Van Halen, 30, wrote. He sarcastically asked his mother for the “f—er’s” name so he could “harass them with memes.” Many other stars showed their support as well, including Demi Lovato, who has been open about her own body image struggles. “I love you. You said it yourself, you’re already enough AND whoever said that is hurting.. or not being shown enough compassion in their lives,” Lovato wrote. “I’m sorry you had to deal w this. Here for you always.”

“This video is everything,” Pioneer Woman star Ree Drummond wrote. “Beautiful Valerie, you inspire, you encourage, and you make people feel like everything is good and right. You have done this your whole life. You win.” Even Kim Kardashian West took time to respond to Bertinelli’s post. “Please do not allow people who are hurting to hurt you. Easier said than done. I know. Trust me I understand,” Kardashian West wrote in part. “I am so sorry that a handful of people don’t have the simple basics of kindness and compassion. Please remember there are so many more people who send you love and encouragement. We are in awe of you! I am sending you a virtual hug. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this.”

Bertinelli started her video by noting it was a “mistake” to read comments on her Instagram posts because she saw a comment telling her to lose weight. “Because see, I don’t have a scale or I don’t have clothes that I’m trying to put on every day, and I don’t have mirrors so I don’t see what’s become of me,” the Valerie’s Home Cooking star said sarcastically. “So I needed that help to let me know that I need to lose weight.”

Bertinelli went on to say that if she could lose the weight and keep it off, she “would,” but she has not “been successful with that my whole entire life… at 61, I’m still dealing with [it]. You think I’m not tired of it, lady?” She asked where the compassion was, adding that the comment was “not f—ing helpful.” The former Touched by an Angel star originally posted her comments in her Instagram Stories, where she could easily delete them, but she then saw the messages from fans who have experienced similar situations.

“We all could use a little more kindness and patience and grace because we just never know what someone else is going through,” Bertinelli wrote in the caption for the video. “So here it is. Not deleting. Owning it.”

Bertinelli shot to fame on One Day at a Time, winning two Golden Globes for the series. She also starred in Hot in Cleveland and Touched by an Angel. She has hosted Valerie’s Home Cooking for Food Network since 2015, earning two Daytime Emmy Awards. She was married to Eddie Van Halen from 1981 to 2007 and married Tom Vitale in 2011.