Gerrard Kaonga
The singer opened up about his daughter’s cancer battle and how difficult it has been for her going through treatment.
John Mellencamp reflected on his daughter’s current condition as he discussed her cancer diagnosis with podcast host Joe Rogan.
While on the Wednesday edition of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, 74-year-old Mellencamp admitted that his daughter, Teddi, was currently struggling.
As the pair began speaking about family, Mellencamp claimed that fathers often lose touch with their daughters in their teenage years.
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He said: “Girls, at about 12, you lose them and then about 21 they come back. I kinda lost mine.”
Rogan disagreed, saying that he had a very good relationship with his teenaged daughters, which resulted in Mellencamp admitting that he toured a lot for his singing career during his own children’s adolescence.
The 'Jack & Diane' singer went on to explain how his daughter, 44-year-old Teddi, was like as a kid, noting how close they were.
He said: “That kid used to call me up and I’d go, ‘Teddi, you can have a thought without asking me if it’s … you know, figure it out yourself.'”
While laughing, he added: “You don’t have to ask me everything, you know?”
He also briefly touched on her cancer struggles and how their relationship changed of late.
He said: “I do have a daughter that is really sick. It’s not f**king fun. She has got cancer in the brain and she is suffering right now.”
Rogan offered his condolences before the conversation moved on.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Teddi, was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer in early 2025, following on from a battle with Melanoma in 2022.
Since her diagnosis, she has had multiple surgeries to remove several tumors and has thanked and praised her dad publicly for the support her has given her through the whole health ordeal.
In October last year, she thanked her father for his support as she shared a picture of her father and her two daughters, Slate and Dove.
Writing on Instagram, she said: “It’s been 10 months since my brain surgery and I am so grateful to @johnmellencamp for continuously being there for me and my family the entire time.”
Jokingly, she added: “Although apparently now that I’m no evidence of disease I can take photos without myself in it so I guess we’re all healing 🤣. Love you so much, Cougs. Thank you for everything.”