Teddi Mellencamp says she was hospitalized with 'sores all over' her body amid cancer battle
Teddi Mellencamp says she was hospitalized with 'sores all over' her body amid cancer battle
Sharareh DruryThu, March 5, 2026 at 1:10 AM UTC
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Teddi MellencampCredit: Rich Polk/Bravo
Teddi Mellencamp is recovering after a scary health incident that left painful sores all over her body.
During the March 3 episode of Two Ts in a Pod, Mellencamp, 44, gave an update to friend and cohost Tamra Judge about how she has been doing amid her ongoing battle with stage 4 melanoma.
“I hadn’t felt good for a couple days. I thought I had the flu and then I woke up one day and my whole body was just covered in this terrible rash — you can’t even say it’s a rash because they’re almost like sores, like, all over my entire body," the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star revealed.
Upon going to urgent care, hoping she was experiencing something more mild, such as an allergic reaction, Mellencamp said she was urged to go to an emergency room immediately.
“Essentially what happened was I was given a new medication, and I was allergic to it," Mellencamp continued, saying it caused Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which she explained is "a rare life-threatening medical emergency causing severe, painful blisters of the skin and mucous membranes."
Teddi Mellencamp in 2025Credit: Maya Dehlin Spach/FilmMagic
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Mellencamp said the condition eventually went further than her skin. "It went into my mouth. Around my eyes a little bit. It was just everywhere. Then, I couldn’t swallow," she recalled.
"They immediately started me on steroids and antibiotics. And then after a couple of days, it thankfully got better," the TV star and daughter of musician John Mellencamp continued. "The reason they were like, 'You have to stay in,' is because they can start to get better and then shift right back up."
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After her health scare, Mellencamp said she was glad to be released just in time for her daughter Dove's birthday. Mellencamp has three children with her ex, Edwin Arroyave, whom she filed for divorce from in 2024. The two have not yet proceeded with finalizing the divorce, though, as they focus on Mellencamp's health issues.
"I wasn’t feeling great," Mellencamp admitted of attending her daughter's birthday in person following such an ordeal. "But just the adrenaline from seeing her, I was so happy."
Teddi Mellencamp in 2025Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty
Mellencamp was diagnosed with stage 2 melanoma in 2022. After three years of testing and treatment, in February 2025 she received the news that she had stage 4 melanoma, as the cancer had metastasized to her brain and lungs.
In January, her father shared during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience that his daughter was "really sick" amid her cancer battle. "It's not f---ing fun. She's got cancer in the brain. And she's suffering right now."
While previously noting that doctors have given her 50/50 odds of surviving cancer, Mellencamp has remained steadfast to keep fighting.
"I truly believe this when I say this — and it's gonna make me emotional — I truly believe that I'm gonna live," she said on The Jamie Kern Lima Show last July. "I need to believe it. 'Cause if not, it's just too sad."
Listen to the full conversation above.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
