While Teddi Mellencamp and her father, John Cougar Mellencamp, lead very public lives, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum's siblings are a bit more private. However, on April 20, Teddi's sister Justice Mellencamp joined her on the Two T's in a Pod podcast, and the duo shared new details on their close bond, their upbringing, and more.
"She is my best friend," Teddi noted, before admitting she and Justice are about to get "best friend" tattoos. "I love her to death."
Although Justice currently lives with her husband and three kids in their home state of South Carolina, she came to visit her older sister to help out amid her cancer battle.
"She's been helping taking care of my kids," Teddi explained. "She's been here to help me because some days I'm pretty good until about two o'clock."
Justice wasn't just in Los Angeles to help take care of Teddi's three children that she shares with her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave. She was also there to get in some major "sister time" with her older sibling.
Justice took to her Instagram account on April 17, where she posted a series of photos from her trip to see Teddi, which included them wearing wigs together, going for walks, and relaxing in a hotel.
How Teddi Mellencamp's cancer diagnosis has brought her closer to Justice Mellencamp
Justice first found out that Teddi's cancer returned after her 2022 diagnosis from their dad, who told her over the phone. "It was tough," Justice admitted. "We all got on the plane the next day when you were in surgery."
Although this was tough on their family, Teddi admitted that her diagnosis was able to bring them closer. "This is going to sound so morbid, but some of the most fun and hilarious conversations, we've all been — including my friends, my family, everybody — that we've been able to have post this diagnosis and my surgeries, has been some of the best behavior in the hospital," she explained.
"Teddi was just being her true authentic self that she doesn't let anyone normally see because it was just all out there," Justice added.
Justice Mellencamp reveals how Teddi Mellencamp has inspired her own health journey
Justice continued, noting that Teddi's diagnosis has inspired her to take ahold of her own health. "After your diagnosis with the melanoma on your back, I started going every year for my checks and I've had two biopsies," she revealed.
"Thank God they've been clear," she continued. "But I never in a million years would have thought that was something I needed to start doing or even think about. But I mean, we were beach babies."
Teddi and Justice Mellencamp open up about their siblings, Hud, Speck, and Michelle Mellencamp
Teddi is used to having a big family, as she has three half-siblings who are also John Mellencamp's children. During the podcast, Teddi admitted that she doesn't get jealous of her younger brothers, Hud Mellencamp and Speck Mellencamp. She also has an older sister, Michelle Mellencamp, from John's first marriage.
"We all like to claim we're the favorite," she admitted. "I mean, it's clear I am."
The sisters joked that they're "not allowed to talk about" their brothers. "But we are allowed to talk about each other, which may mean we are not the favorites," Teddi joked.
Hud is a former football player for Duke University and former TomTom employee, who currently is the co-founder and president of the whiskey company, Mellencamp Whiskey Company. Like his older sister, Hud also appeared on reality TV, competing in Season 3 of Claim to Fame, where he came in second place, according to People.
Speck is an artist, who studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and is now the Executive Director at The Southern Indiana Center for the Arts. He frequently posts his stunning paintings to his Instagram account.
Details on Justice Mellencamp's life today
Justice's life at home is focused on her inner-circle.
"I've had the same group of girlfriends literally since I was a child," she shared on the podcast. "I've married a guy I've known since I was four. So I just keep my circle very tight and very close."
Who is Teddi Mellencamp's mother?
Teddi and Justice's mom is Victoria Granucci, a former actress. When Victoria and John divorced in 1989, after eight years of marriage, Victoria raised her daughters in Hilton Head, South Carolina, while John lived in his home state of Indiana.
During the podcast episode, the siblings emphasized how normal their upbringing was for them, despite having a rock star father. "We were in Hilton Head and dad lived in Indiana, like, there was no glamorous stuff like people would assume," Justice explained. "People respected the privacy of it all."
How John Mellencamp is coping with Teddi Mellencamp's cancer diagnosis
In addition to receiving the support of her sister, Teddi has also gotten some major support from her dad, who has been using humor to cope with her cancer diagnosis. Teddi took to her podcast on April 9, where she revealed that John had called her to ask if she wanted to be buried in the "group family mausoleum." Teddi then asked her dad if there would be any room for her nuclear family.
"He's like, 'Well, there's gonna be the top five, and then we're gonna have little areas around it and then that's where everyone's gonna get buried,'" she recalled. "He goes, 'Well, you're doing your will right now, so you may as well put it in there.'"
Teddi agreed to be buried in the mausoleum, under one stipulation — that she gets "Hot girls never die" engraved on her tombstone.
Get the latest updates on Teddi's cancer journey.
