If John Mellencamp had his way, daughter Teddi Mellencamp would be closer to home during her stage 4 cancer battle.
“I’m going to go out and see her [in Los Angeles],” John, 74, shared on the Friday, January 16, episode of the Today show. “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.”
Teddi, 44 — who shares Slate, 12, Cruz, 11, and Dove, 5, with estranged husband Edwin Arroyave — was first diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in October 2022.
In February 2025, however, CT scans and MRIs allowed doctors to find multiple tumors near her brain. After treatment for stage 4 melanoma, which included immunotherapy, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star announced in October 2025 that scans showed “no detectable cancer.”
While it was a positive update, John — who has resided in Indiana since the ‘70s — explained to cohosts Craig Melvin, Dyler Dreyer and Al Roker that his daughter is still suffering.
“You can’t say you’re cancer-free with the type of cancer she’s got for three years,” the “Jack and Diane” singer shared. “She has lesions in her brain. It went from her back — just a little, teeny spot on her — and over the last couple years, it grew and it got inside her brain and her lungs.”
On Thursday, January 15, Teddi made a special appearance on her iHeartRadio “Two T’s in a Pod” podcast. (The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania has been filling in for her as she rests and recovers.)
While sitting down with cohost Tamra Judge, Teddi shared an update on how she’s been feeling.
“I’ve been doing a lot of therapy, a lot of rest [and] a lot of hanging with the family,” she revealed. “[It’s been] a lot of trying to get myself together because, apparently, I’m struggling with massive PTSD. [The PTSD was] from everything that happened. I didn’t really realize it, so I’m starting to feel a little better. The cloud is lifting.”
Through all the ups and downs of her health journey, Teddi has continuously expressed gratitude for her dad’s support.
“He has been beyond,” Teddi shared during a July 2025 appearance on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast. “The things that I wouldn’t be capable of doing without my dad — not only for financial reasons. With all of these medical treatments and everything, he has stepped in. He’s helped me have a nurse. He calls me every single day. He makes sure that I’m OK.”
Although John has plans to travel the country this summer as part of his Dancing Words Tour, the Grammy winner has no plans to stop his daily check-ins with Teddi.
“It’s been 10 months since my brain surgery and I am so grateful to @johnmellencamp for continuously being there for me and my family the entire time,” Teddi previously wrote via Instagram in October 2025. “Love you so much, Cougs. Thank you for everything ❤️.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.usmagazine.com ’
