Teddi Mellencamp is setting the record straight after her father, John Mellencamp, said she was “really sick.” She says his remarks were misunderstood and did not signal a return of her cancer.
The clarification came in a recent episode of Two T’s in a Pod, which Teddi co-hosts with Tamra Judge.
“You know, I think when he said the words ‘suffering,’ he meant like, how I’m mentally doing versus how I’m physically doing,” Teddi said. “Instantly people thought, ‘Oh my God, cancer’s back,’ ” Judge, 58, said.
Teddi explained, “No, there’s still no trace of cancer. But I’m still considered stage four, and I’m still in immunotherapy, so essentially nothing’s changed other than I still … I don’t feel great … I would hope that I would be feeling better by now, but I really don’t.”
The discussion followed John Mellencamp’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience earlier this month. During that interview, the 74-year-old musician said his daughter was suffering and referenced cancer in her brain.
Teddi also admitted on her podcast that the emotional toll is catching up with her. She said she did not fully process several major events that happened close together. Those included her divorce, emergency brain surgery, and being separated from her children during recovery. She recently began therapy and said the weight of the past year is now hitting her.
“I also didn’t properly process all of the things that happened when I had surgery, like from my divorce [from Edwin Arroyave] to all of a sudden being in emergency surgery, to you know, not being able to see my kids when I was recovering. I think all of those things are starting to finally hit me now. I started doing therapy, and so it’s taken its toll on me,” the former Bravolebrity added.
Teddi shares three children with ex-husband Edwin Arroyave. She previously revealed doctors gave her a 50/50 chance of survival. Her cancer journey began in 2022 with stage 2 melanoma. She has since undergone 17 surgeries. In April 2025, the disease spread to her brain and lungs.
She said immunotherapy has changed her body and slowed her down. She also admitted fear has set in now that the immediate crisis has passed.
“I was really fighting for my life … now that the storm has calmed a little, now I’m starting to develop fear where I didn’t have fear before. Like I have fear to do a lot of things,” she told Judge, saying she’s afraid “that cancer is going to come back.”
