Gigantic dad energy. John Mellencamp congratulated his daughter Teddi Mellencamp on her new job, but he can’t seem to recall what it is.
“A television show that Teddi is on premieres tonight,” the rocker, 70, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, February 2, alongside a photo of himself with the reality star, 40, and her daughters Slate, 9, and Dove, 23 months. “I don’t know what she’s doing, but I’m proud of her and hope she achieves her goals.”
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum is one of the contestants on season 3 of Celebrity Big Brother, which premiered Wednesday on CBS. Her father may not be totally sure what the show is about, but the “Teddi Tea Pod” podcast host is already thinking about strategy.
“I have been told by, like, fanatics of Big Brother not to win the first competition, as if that’s just like gonna be effortless for me to win,” the Indiana native told Us Weekly ahead of the season premiere. “However, I just don’t think I could do that. I think I have to play every single game with my full heart.”
If any challenges involve math, however, all bets are off. “Code red,” she joked. “Let’s just say I struggle helping my son do his first-grade math.”
In addition to Slate and Dove, Teddi shares son Cruz, 7, with husband Edwin Arroyave. She is also a stepmom to Isabella, 13, her husband’s daughter from a previous relationship.
Ahead of the Celebrity Big Brother premiere, host Julie Chen Moonves told Us that she thinks Teddi could be a “dark horse” of the season, which also stars Lamar Odom, Chris Kirkpatrick, Todrick Hall, Carson Kressley, Todd Bridges, Shanna Moakler, Mirai Nagasu, Cynthia Bailey, Miesha Tate and Chris Kattan.
“If you watch her on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — and my stepdaughter does and she’s a fan of Teddi’s — I think she’s someone who I’ve been told is very likable, and I think likable can get you very far,” the Talk alum, 52, explained.
For her part, however, Moonves is “pulling for” Bridges, 56. “I loved him on Diff’rent Strokes. And I’ll just leave it at that,” she told Us. “I don’t know if he’s gonna be good at this game, if he’s gonna get along with others and do well in competitions, but my heart is rooting for Todd Bridges.”
Celebrity Big Brother airs on CBS multiple nights a week. It is also available to stream via Paramount+.
