Tragic Details About Teddi Mellencamp's Health

Teddi Mellencamp's long battle with cancer has been one of the most tragic details about her life, but it's also been an inspirational experience for both her and her followers. In early 2022, the entrepreneur visited the doctor after a friend discovered a mole on her back that looked out of place. Although she'd gotten the mole removed, its sudden appearance tipped doctors off that Mellencamp was suffering from skin cancer. The cancer, which doctors diagnosed as melanoma, was revealed to have reached stage 2 in October 2022. Mellencamp would soon need to get a few surgeries to remove more melanomas, which had multiplied since her initial diagnosis. The procedures initially offered the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star temporary relief. However, her melanomas kept reappearing, which required more surgeries and eventual radiation therapy to manage.

In early 2025, Mellencamp revealed that she underwent surgery after doctors discovered she had several tumors in her brain and lungs, indicating that the melanoma metastasized to other areas of her body. However, Mellencamp posted an update about her condition on Instagram that showed she was winning the fight. "All tumors stage 4 (metastasized melanoma in my brain and lungs) shrunk or disappeared so I have 6ish more weeks of immunotherapy and doctors believe I will be healed if everything stays on course," Mellencamp wrote in April 2025. Her tumors remained shrunken after the announcement. However, she was still cautious about celebrating since her cancer hadn't been completely removed. "It's stage 4 until it's gone, until I'm in remission," she said on her podcast "Two T's in a Pod" (via Parade).

Teddi Mellencamp couldn't have been more open with fans during her journey to recovery. She documented her frequent trips to the hospital and provided constant health updates for her social media followers, whether they were good or bad news. She even used her massive platform to emphasize the importance of listening to your body and immediately going to a doctor when something goes wrong. Mellencamp felt if she had taken the same advice in the past, she might've discovered her cancer earlier and improved her odds for survival much sooner. But in terms of her health, talking about melanoma isn't like talking about Mellencamp's controversial diet program. 

The lifestyle and fitness influencer confided that she preferred to keep the cancer talks to a minimum in the midst of her recovery. At least with her family. "My family wants to have like the hard conversations, and I don't," she said on "Two T's in a Pod" (via USA Today.) "They want to talk about things like the future, or medically, exactly how I'm doing, and I don't want to talk about it." She quipped that she didn't even want to discuss those parts of her diagnosis with her trusted show co-host Tamara Judge. Her attitude makes sense since, after her tumors shrank, the former "Extra" correspondent expressed a strong desire to return to her normal life. 

We imagine a part of her might miss the times when fans would discuss what Mellencamp typically eats in a day rather than her battle with melanoma. In light of her health progress, however, those days might make a comeback if things continue to go well.