Valerie Bertinelli Admits She Was ‘Always Afraid’ of Norman Lear Despite Their Close Bond

Valerie Bertinelli feels fortunate to have been mentored by her One Day at a Time boss Norman Lear, but she was also “afraid of him a little bit”.

Bertinelli, 66, shot to fame on the CBS sitcom at age 14, and she remembers Lear — who died in 2023, at age 101 — as being “so loving” towards her, despite his fear factor.

Bertinelli reflected on Lear’s influence during an episode of her Getting Naked podcast on September 7 with her One Day at a Time costar Mackenzie Phillips.

“Both of us are incredibly lucky to have such a mentor, and someone who wasn’t what you think Hollywood is, because young girls in Hollywood are eaten up and [spat] out, and we were not under Norman’s tutelage,” she said. “I felt very, very protected and I always was in awe of him.”

But Bertinelli also revealed that she was “a little bit always afraid” that she would be “reprimanded by Norman”, and she recalls feeling “so scared” of Lear in the season 1 finale.

The Hot in Cleveland alum added, “He was the one that immediately took me aside when I had to cry in the finale of the first season and I couldn’t do it. I was too embarrassed because I wasn’t an actor. I was just learning how to do this… Now I can. But I also have 50 years experience behind me, right?”

During the conversation, Phillips, 66, recalled there being “some sort of rift that had developed” between Lear and Bertinelli.

She remembered approaching Bertinelli with the idea of splitting the cost of a full-page newspaper ad wishing Lear a happy birthday, but said Bertinelli initially refused.

Bertinelli said she doesn’t remember turning down the idea, while Phillips noted that she eventually agreed to pitch in.

Phillips also recalled having a “wonderful relationship” with Lear.

“I don’t think this is a word, but I pedestalized him,” she said.

While Bertinelli and Phillips recalled feeling protected under Lear’s watch, their years as young stars on One Day at a Time weren’t completely trouble-free.

As previously reported by Examiner, Phillips revealed in June that she and Bertinelli used cocaine together while working on the show, including in their dressing room.

“During lunch break, Valerie and I would drive to my house, get in the pool, drink wine, and snort coke. And you know, so we would do coke together in the dressing room and stuff,” Phillips told Fox News Digital.

“I just happened to be the one that got caught,” she continued. “And thank God I got caught, you know?”