Valerie Bertinelli recently took a surprising trip down memory lane after discovering a collection of photographs she had completely forgotten about. The 66-year-old actress, who became a household name on One Day at a Time, uncovered two negatives from a 1979 photo shoot while sorting through decades of personal belongings.
According to AmoMama, the unexpected discovery offered a glimpse of the television star at around 19 years old, wearing black lingerie and posing on a chair. Rather than keeping the forgotten images to herself, Bertinelli shared them on Instagram and invited followers to help decide whether she should preserve them or throw them away. Her question quickly sparked a range of reactions from fans who remembered watching her grow up on television.
Valerie Bertinelli Lingerie Photos Spark Mixed Reactions From Fans
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The actress explained that she discovered the photographs during an extensive decluttering project at home. The two negatives featured slightly different poses from a shoot that apparently never made it into print. Bertinelli admitted that she had completely forgotten about the pictures and wasn’t sure what to do with them. She also wondered whether her brother, photographer David Bertinelli, could find a creative use for the images. “Toss or save?” she asked followers, opening the conversation to anyone who wanted to share an opinion.
Fans offered mixed responses, with many encouraging the former sitcom star to hold on to the photographs. One admirer wrote, “Save! You are a part of my television history, most definitely a save [sic].” Another praised her appearance and recalled keeping old photographic negatives of their own. Others felt differently, with one commenter suggesting she discard the pictures, while another thought she looked uncomfortable during the shoot. Despite the differing opinions, the discovery brought back memories of the actress’s early years in Hollywood.
Remembering Her ‘One Day at a Time’ Fame and New Nostalgia Projects
Bertinelli first captured audiences’ hearts at age 15 when she began playing Barbara Cooper on the CBS sitcom One Day at a Time in 1975. The popular comedy ran until 1984, allowing viewers to watch her grow from a teenage actress into a young adult. She later appeared in Touched by an Angel and Hot in Cleveland, building a television career that extended well beyond her early sitcom success. Her work eventually took her into food programming, where she earned two Daytime Emmy Awards, and she later joined The Drew Barrymore Show as a lifestyle expert.
Interestingly, the rediscovered photographs came as Bertinelli and her brother launched Undeveloped: Stories from the Vault, a project exploring personal memories through previously unseen pictures. The series, available through her subscription platform Valerie’s Place, features images David photographed over the years. She also began revisiting another chapter of her career in July 2026 with the podcast Still Hot in Cleveland, which looks back at the beloved sitcom and its memorable cast, including the late Betty White. Whether the forgotten 1979 photographs will eventually appear in her new series remains uncertain, but the discovery has already given longtime fans another reason to celebrate her television legacy.