Teddi Mellencamp has a famous last name anyone would recognize. As the daughter of rock star John Mellencamp, you would think her life has been glamorous and trouble-free, but the mom of three has gone through many hardships. Teddi was relatively unknown when she joined “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” in Season 8, but her fame blew up after becoming a reality television star — and not necessarily in a good way. For some, the accountability coach came across as boring with no storyline until she got herself involved in Puppygate during Season 9. After she put further strain on her relationship with Dorit Kemsley by trying to throw her castmate under the bus for giving away her rescue dog, Lucy Lucy Apple Juice, Teddi’s stock with fans dipped even lower.
“RHOBH” Season 10 was Teddi’s last time on the show, and sadly, her firing caused her to come down on herself. “When I didn’t get asked back, I kept thinking, ‘I’m not good enough,'” she revealed on her podcast “Two Ts In A Pod.”At the time, she wondered, “Why am I not good enough? Like, why am I not special enough?” Ultimately, Teddi made peace with the network’s decision, but unfortunately, that was just one of many tragic events that have happened to the former reality star over the years.
Teddi Mellencamp announced her divorce from Edwin Arroyave
Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images
On November 2, 2024, Teddi Mellencamp shocked her fans when she announced her split from her longtime husband Edwin Arroyave. “After a great deal of care and consideration, I have made the difficult decision to file for divorce. My priority is my children and ensuring that every care is taken with their privacy and wellbeing throughout this new chapter,” she shared on Instagram. Mellencamp, who had nearly divorced Arroyave years prior, went on to say that she wanted to keep matters private but decided to reveal the split to prevent any outside false narratives from the public.
As reported by TMZ, Mellencamp had filed for divorce one day before her Instagram post. According to legal documents, she listed the date of separation as October 20, with irreconcilable differences as the reason. Mellencamp also requested primary custody of their three children and asked for spousal support from Arroyave. Mellencamp has yet to elaborate further on the reason for her divorce but she did state on a “Two Ts In A Pod” episode, “I’m just trying my hardest to make sure that my kids’ privacy is protected right now.”
Teddi Mellencamp has had several surgeries for skin cancer
Steve Granitz/Getty Images
One of the most tragic and terrifying things Teddi Mellencamp has had to go through is her ongoing skin cancer. She first discovered that she had melanoma when her “RHOBH” castmate Kyle Richards pointed out a suspicious mole on her back. Upon going to the doctor, she was informed that it was malignant and had to get it immediately removed. While sharing her story on Instagram, she urged readers to get their skin checked out as well.
Sadly, that wouldn’t be the end of Mellencamp’s skin cancer scare. The podcast host has since been diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma and has undergone 16 surgeries as of this writing. On September 5, she shared a picture of a big scar on her back, along with a fresh bandage over her shoulder. “My most recent surgery for my 16th melanoma removal went well. Unfortunately they found a spot on my ear which is now being biopsied. Obviously, I am grateful for my team of doctors who continue to give me the most thorough care. But part of me just wants to scream, ‘When will this be over for good!?'” she wrote.
Mellencamp admitted that her ongoing health issues have taken a toll on her and told E! News, “You have very dark moments where you think, ‘What if I don’t make it? What does that mean for my children? What does that mean for my husband? What does that mean for my business? You go through all those emotions.”
Teddi Mellencamp’s daughter almost lost her finger in a terrifying accident
Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
In a mother’s worst nightmare, Teddi Mellencamp’s daughter Slate Arroyave once suffered a horrifying accident that resulted in her finger being severed. In a June 2020 Instagram post, Mellencamp addressed fans wanting to know what happened to Slate and shared, “Seven weeks ago she was following me outside while I took the trash out and a gust of wind came and the front door slammed on her finger and amputated the tip.” Thankfully, her daughter had her finger surgically repaired and had a skin graft, which seemed to help with the healing process.
Slate’s injury resulted in her developing necrosis on her finger, and she had to get hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Mellencamp shared a video on Instagram of her daughter in the enclosed chamber with her son Cruz keeping his sibling company. “If this isn’t the sweetest thing. Slate sits in here everyday for 90 minutes to try to help heal the necrosis of her finger. Cruz came along to support his big sissy today. It’s hard to choke back the tears watching the love they have for each other,” she wrote.
Teddi Mellencamp’s baby underwent neurosurgery
Teddi Mellencamp and Eddie Arroyave welcomed their youngest daughter, Dove Arrayove, in February 2020. Sadly, one of the happiest moments of their lives turned tragic when they found out that she need surgery when she was 5 months old. As reported by ET, Dove was born with lambdoid craniosynostosis, which is a condition where the back of the skull fuses preterm. “The fact that it happened in utero with her means that she doesn’t have room for her brain to grow, so if we didn’t catch it when we did, it would’ve continued growing,” Mellencamp revealed.
Four months later, Mellencamp updated fans on Instagram and shared that Dove had been wearing a helmet following the surgery in order to correct the shape of her head. She had 10 more weeks to go before being helmet-free but was otherwise a happy and healthy baby. In April 2021, Mellencamp announced that the surgery was a success and wrote, “She has about 6 weeks left and then, if all looks good, only yearly checks with the neurologist.”
Teddi Mellencamp was estranged from her dad for years
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Teddi Mellencamp often talks fondly of her father, John Mellencamp, but they didn’t always have a great relationship. During a November 2022 episode of “Two Ts In A Pod,” the former “RHOBH” star revealed that she didn’t talk to her dad for years after her parents’ divorce when she was a kid. Although her mom got a huge alimony payout plus child support, by the time Teddi was a teen, all the money was gone and she hinted that John didn’t help her out financially. Without disclosing specifics, she stated, “We didn’t talk for three years over money.”
Teddi elaborated on her fight with John in “Diving Deep” with Cheryl Burke. “When I was 16, my dad and I got into an argument and we didn’t talk for two years,” she stated. It was VH1 calling her to do an episode of “Behind the Music” that brought the two together. “I never thought I’d be the one to give in because we’re both so stubborn,” Teddi laughed, but when she called her father to ask him if it was okay for her to appear on his profile, he told her, “So, you’re talking to me again?” Thankfully, that broke the ice and things are now all good between the two.
