“It’s not f—ing fun,” John Mellencamp said of his daughter’s cancer journey
By
Vanessa Etienne
Vanessa Etienne
Vanessa Etienne is a Staff Writer for PEOPLE.
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Updated on January 15, 2026 05:50PM EST
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John Mellencamp and daughter Teddi Mellencamp.Credit : Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
John Mellencamp opened up about his “really sick” daughter Teddi Mellencamp
He said the reality star is “suffering right now” amid stage 4 cancer
She previously shared in October 2025 that her cancer was “gone” but she wasn’t out of the woods yet with her diagnosis
John Mellencamp is sharing a health update on Teddi Mellencamp as she continues to live with stage 4 cancer.
On Wednesday, Jan. 14, the 74-year-old musician appeared on the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and briefly opened up about his family, sharing that his daughter Teddi, 44, is “really sick.”
“It’s not f—ing fun,” he said of Teddi’s journey. “She’s got cancer in the brain, and she’s suffering right now.”
John’s update comes as a surprise after Teddi shared in October 2025 that her stage 4 cancer was “gone.”
“Just to give a little life update to you guys, I had my immunotherapy yesterday and I did my scans and at this point there is no detectable cancer,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, told co-host Dolores Catania during the Oct. 3 episode of the podcast Teddi usually cohosts with Tamra Judge, Two T’s in a Pod.
“When they told me, I was in such shock. I was like, numb,” she said.
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Teddi Mellencamp in Beverly Hills in May 2025.Phillip Faraone/Getty
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But her struggle isn’t over, she explained, “I’m still going to be having days when I’m feeling sick and stuff because I still am in immunotherapy, so I’m still fighting because you have to be.”
Teddi said at the time that she will continue immunotherapy for a year, adding, “I’m not considered in remission or anything like that.”
She explained further: “The way the [doctors] said it works, it’s like one year, then two years, then at three years you’re allowed to be considered … in remission. So, but that was huge news yesterday.”
Teddi previously shared that doctors have given her a “50/50” chance of survival for her struggle with cancer, which began in 2022 with stage 2 melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — on her back. She has since undergone 17 surgeries for the invasive skin cancer. But in April 2025, Teddi shared that her cancer had metastasized to her brain and lungs. She’s undergone immunotherapy, radiation and surgery to treat the tumors.
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