Importance Score: 22 / 100 🔵
Teddi Mellencamp Clarifies Father John Mellencamp’s Mausoleum Joke Amid Cancer Journey
Reality TV personality Teddi Mellencamp is clarifying comments made by her father, music icon John Mellencamp, regarding her potential placement in the family mausoleum. The exchange, revealed during a recent podcast episode, occurred as Teddi navigates her stage IV cancer diagnosis. She emphasized the remarks were intended as humor to lighten the mood during a challenging time.
Humor as a Coping Mechanism
Speaking on the Friday, April 18 episode of her podcast “Two Ts in a Pod,” Teddi, 43, explained to co-host Tamra Judge that her father’s joke was a way to inject levity into a difficult situation. She affirmed that the legendary singer-songwriter, 73, understands her need for comedic relief when confronting emotionally and physically demanding circumstances.
“My dad knows that I need like, some comedy to this,” Teddi stated, highlighting that John Mellencamp is also a source of support in serious matters.
Related Discussion: Mausoleum Comments
Teddi Mellencamp has been engaged in serious conversations with her family since her cancer diagnosis, including discussions about her will with her father. According to Teddi, John Mellencamp’s question about the mausoleum prompted him to call her repeatedly. “Finally, I answer, I’m like, ‘I’m in the bath. […]

vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Balancing Humor with Serious Matters
Teddi further elaborated, “His next quote or his next thing was like, all right, now we actually really do have to get talking serious, like we need to talk about your will and like your living trust and like, do the things we need to do, you know.”
She reiterated her appreciation for humor while dealing with the necessary but sensitive tasks related to her health, adding, “But like sometimes I don’t want just someone to come pummel me.”
Family Support and Boundaries
During the podcast, Teddi also shared that she had requested family members, including her sister, to refrain from crying in her presence as she undergoes cancer treatment. This preference underscores her approach to managing her illness with resilience and a positive outlook.
The Phone Call and the Mausoleum Question
The conversation about the mausoleum arose after Teddi mentioned in the April 8 podcast episode that John had called her eleven times consecutively. When she finally answered, John had a specific inquiry.
“Finally, I answer, I’m like, ‘I’m in the bath. Let me live a little,’” Teddi recounted. “He goes, ‘I just want to make sure you’re going to be in our group family mausoleum.’”
Teddi explained her initial hesitation due to her children and uncertainty about space allocation within the mausoleum. She shares children – Slate, 12, Cruz, 10, and Dove, 5 – with her former husband Edwin Arroyave, who also has an older daughter, Isabella, from a previous relationship.
Mausoleum Logistics
“He’s like, ‘Well, there’s going to be the top five and then we’re gonna have little areas around it, and then that’s where everyone’s going to get buried,’” she continued. “He goes, ‘You’re doing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there.’”
Teddi Mellencamp’s Cancer Battle
Teddi is currently confronting stage IV melanoma, which has metastasized to her brain and lungs. She underwent surgery in February to remove brain tumors, and subsequent scans in March revealed additional tumors.
The former Real Housewives star told Nightline earlier this month that she intentionally uses humor to cope with what she describes as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“If I didn’t find humor, I would cry,” she admitted. “Even with my kids, the other day, we kept forgetting something and we often go, ‘The tumors!’ It’s kind of the only way.”