GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy have become so widely discussed in celebrity circles that it can feel unusual to hear about a public figure who isn’t taking one.
The drugs — often prescribed for type 2 diabetes and increasingly used for weight loss — mimic hormones that help regulate blood sugar and appetite. While many people point to the noticeably leaner look associated with “Ozempic face,” these medications aren’t suitable for everyone.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills former cast member Teddi Mellencamp found that out firsthand when she brought up GLP-1s while navigating an advanced cancer diagnosis that had spread.
During an episode of her podcast, ‘Two Ts in a Pod’, Mellencamp, 44, explained why she asked about them, saying: “I am a health and wellness coach who’s dying of cancer. And because I gained weight from the steroids, because I’m getting bigger from the steroids, I asked my doctor if I could please have GLP-1s.”
According to Mellencamp, her doctor didn’t hesitate. “And he was like, ‘No!’” she recalled. The show typically recaps Bravo-related topics and is usually co-hosted by fellow Real Housewives star Tamara Judge.
For this episode, Judge wasn’t present and Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Dolores Catania filled in. Responding to Mellencamp’s story, Catania told her: “I’m so sorry someone told you no, but I don’t know that I’d listen!”
Mellencamp has been dealing with cancer for several years. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 melanoma in 2022, and it later metastasized and progressed to Stage 4.
She also noted that access wouldn’t necessarily be the barrier if she decided to pursue it elsewhere, adding: “I mean, I know people where I could get it. I have friends that do it,” referencing the growing popularity of GLP-1 medications beyond their original use in diabetes care.
But while the drugs can reduce obesity-related risks, they aren’t proven to improve cancer survival outcomes — and certain effects may be problematic for people in active treatment.
Many cancer treatments can already cause nausea and make it difficult to eat, and maintaining strength can be crucial during recovery and ongoing therapy. Because GLP-1s suppress appetite and may contribute to weight and muscle loss, combining them with treatment-related side effects could increase the risk of malnutrition and reduced muscle mass.
This is one reason such medications are often considered inappropriate for individuals seeking purely cosmetic weight loss — particularly those who are not in the clinical BMI ranges typically associated with medical necessity.
Macmillan Cancer Support similarly advises patients that ‘maintaining strength and energy is often more important than losing weight’.
Despite the caution, Catania pushed back in her own blunt style, telling Mellencamp: “Tell your doctor to shut up.” Mellencamp laughed at the remark and responded: “Listen. Let me enjoy my time.”
Looking ahead, Mellencamp may still have the option to revisit GLP-1s depending on how her health progresses. After surgery planned to remove tumors in 2025, doctors reportedly told her she had ‘no detectable cancer.’
In October, she shared that she would remain on immunotherapy for another year, saying: “I’m still going to be having days when I’m feeling sick and stuff because I still am in immunotherapy, so I’m still fighting because you have to be.
“I’m not considered in remission or anything like that,” she said on her podcast. “The way the [doctors] said it works, it’s like one year, then two years, then at three years you’re allowed to be considered… in remission.”