"We broke up"— Valerie Bertinelli opens up about dating Steven Spielberg on The Drew Barrymore Show, leaves host awestruck

Steven Spielberg is one of Hollywood's most influential filmmakers. He is known for his blockbuster hits, including Jaws, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Jurassic Park.

In a recent segment on The Drew Barrymore Show, the One Day at a Time actress Valerie Bertinelli revealed that she dated Steven Spielberg for "a New York minute."

"I went up to go read for Raiders of (the) Lost Ark and then he asked me out on a date," she stated.

Bertinelli has appeared in feature films like C.H.O.M.P.S., Ordinary Heroes, and Number One with a Bullet. She dated Spielberg shortly before meeting her first husband, Edward Van Halen.

---

Valerie Bertinelli opens up about dating Steven Spielberg

Valerie Bertinelli brought in a vintage photograph of her and Steven Spielberg attending the 1980s Oscars as part of the show's 'Memory Bank' segment. She teased Drew Barrymore by asking her if she knew who the person in the photograph was. "Steven Spielberg? What?!" Barrymore replied in astonishment.

Bertinelli later revealed that the two of them were together for about three to four months.

"He still has a bowling shirt of mine -Steven- that you had in your house, and I didn't get it out of the closet when we broke up, so I would like it back," the actress joked.

Barrymore asked if the two of them had fun together, to which she replied,

"I had a ball with him."

She added,

"He invited me to the Academy Awards that year, and I went, and this was the year, I believe, that Sally Field won."

Bertinelli further went on to speak about her star-struck experience when she ran into Sally Field, who was holding her Oscar in the elevator. She whispered a timid "Congratulations" to the actress since she couldn't say anything else.

"She was just beaming and beautiful… I don't know which award that was — She's won many — but, yeah, that was a lot of fun," stated Bertinelli.

---

Steven Spielberg's upcoming project and more

Steven Spielberg (Image via YouTube/ American Film Institute)

Spielberg's upcoming feature film is set to be released in 2026, as stated by The Hollywood Reporter on February 18, 2025. Little is known about the plot for his next movie, as Spielberg is keeping the details under tight wraps. However, it is described as being an original event film.

The movie stars a high-profile cast including Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, Colman Domingo, Colin Firth, and Eve Hewson. The movie is set to be produced by Kristie Macosko Krieger, and the screenplay is written by David Koepp. Koepp has collaborated with the three-time Oscar-winning director on previous movie scripts like Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Spielberg most recently directed the 2022 film, The Fabelmans, whose storyline was inspired by his upbringing. The drama/coming-of-age movie follows young Sammy Fabelman, an aspiring filmmaker growing up in the post-World War II era, in Arizona. Fabelman soon discovers a shattering family secret and understands how the power of films can help him see the truth.

Although the movie received several Oscar nominations, it struggled at the box office, earning just $45 million worldwide, as reported by Variety on May 23, 2024.

---