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Teddi Mellencamp Clarifies Interpretations of Father John’s Comments on Her “Suffering” in Cancer Battle
Teddi Mellencamp is clarifying the worry her father, John Mellencamp, caused after he gave an unfiltered update on her fight against Stage 4 cancer. On a January 14 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the 74-year-old rock musician shocked his fans when he referred to his daughter as “really sick” and “suffering right now,” pointing out that the cancer is in her brain.
The statement caused a lot of people to worry that Teddi’s health had deteriorated dramatically. Nevertheless, the 44-year-old former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, in a discussion on her Two T’s in a Pod podcast with co-host Tamra Judge, cleared up that there hasn’t been any new change in her health condition.
“I think the first thing my dad was communicating when he used the term ‘suffering’ is the way I’m handling things emotionally versus physically,” Teddi elaborated, implying that her father was talking about her mental state rather than a breakdown of her physical condition.
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Teddi Mellencamp Reveals Her Cancer Has Not Gotten Worse After John Mellencamp’s Comments Provoked Concern
At the beginning, Tamra Judge commented on people’s immediate reaction: “Instantly people thought, ‘Oh my God, cancer’s back,'” she said.
However, Teddi Mellencamp was quick to dismiss those concerns and explain that the situation has not deteriorated at all.
“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,” she said. “I would hope that I would be feeling better by now, but I really don’t.”
Teddi also said that she is only now realizing the emotional impact of last year’s events. “And I didn’t really allow myself to feel the impact of the things that happened when I had surgery: from my divorce to suddenly being in emergency surgery, to not being able to see my kids when I was recovering”–In this case, she added that therapy helps her to face this trauma.
The mother of three, who was married to her ex-husband for three children and shares Slate, 12, Cruz, 11, and Dove, 5, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2022.
It’s been confirmed that the disease is now at stage four and has spread to the lungs and brain, according to Teddi in April 2025. 17 of her melanomas have been excised from her back, however, it was later found out that the disorder had already spread inside despite these surgeries.
Teddi Mellencamp On Her Emotional “Cancerversary” And The Physical Toll Of Treatment
Teddi Mellencamp’s cancer news was a happy ending mere 3 months ago when we learned her cancer is “undetectable,” she had spent quite a rough battle where at one point even the doctors were 50/50 on her survival.
Teddi on her podcast this Tuesday revealed that this year’s Super Bowl is the “cancer anniversary” of her diagnosis. She talked about the hard time she still has in accepting the physical changes that her disease and treatments have brought.
“I have a hard time just touching and moving, and I can tell that I am slower than I was, and it really bothers me,” he said. “It is like I want to be back to the way I was.” In addition to that, she stated that her current immunotherapy is constantly making her very tired and that she has no energy at all.”
Teddi Mellencamp Admits New Fear After Cancer Battle, Says She’s Still Regaining Independence
As the most difficult part of her crisis faded, Teddi Mellencamp revealed that she has started to be afraid in a different way – particularly she worries about the recurrence of the disease.
“First of all, I was really fighting for my life. … Now the storm has calmed a little, and I am starting to develop fear where I didn’t have fear before,” she said to Tamra Judge, admitting she was frightened “that cancer would come back.”
Teddi also revealed she still feels quite dependent and has not even taken an Uber alone yet. “I have to go through everything I have been through, and now it is really hitting me what I am going through,” she said.
This development follows the media renewed focus on the statements of her father, John Mellencamp. John had already disclosed other worrisome personal news during his appearance on Today a week prior – saying that he has been pressuring Teddi to return to Indiana as he continues his battle with stage 4 brain cancer even before Teddi cleared up that his “suffering” comment on The Joe Rogan Experience was not related to a new setback.
John Mellencamp Wants Teddi to Move Home While She Keeps Focusing on “Every Day”
John Mellencamp revealed that he has been trying to persuade his daughter, Teddi Mellencamp, to move back to Indiana during her treatment.
“I’ve tried to talk her into moving back home. I said, ‘Move back to Indiana, bring the kids and just come back and live in Indiana,’ but she won’t do it,” he stated.
Furthermore, he was adamant that with her diagnosis, it is not the right time to say she is totally in the clear. “You can’t say you’re cancer-free with the type of cancer she’s got for three years,” John went on to say.
When he spoke about how her condition has worsened, he commented, “She has brain lesions. Initially, there was a tiny little spot on her back – and now, over the past couple of years, it has spread and it has entered her brain and lungs.”
While the situation is quite serious, Teddi explained that she is working on her state of mind and drawing strength from it. “I always say every day is a new day,” she expressed on Tuesday through the podcast, where she was not only describing treatment but also the day-to-day reality of living with stage-four cancer.
