Friend’s cancer battle forces reality star to exit show

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During a Monday “Radio Andy” broadcast, Andy Cohen shed light on Tamra Judge’s unexpected departure from “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” which occurred during a cast trip to New Orleans the previous night.

While the Bravo executive, 56, maintained discretion about ongoing production matters, he alluded to a significant personal factor that might have influenced Judge’s decision. “I guess the only thing that is at the top of my mind is that one of her best friends — if not her best friend — is going through an incredibly intense health crisis. So maybe keep that in mind.”

The friend in question is Teddi Mellencamp, Judge’s “Two Ts in a Pod” podcast co-host, who is currently facing a serious battle with metastatic skin cancer affecting her brain and lungs. Mellencamp, who has temporarily stepped away from the podcast, recently underwent emergency surgery for brain tumors.

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Describing her health journey on Instagram, Mellencamp shared, “For the last several weeks I’ve been dealing with severe and debilitating headaches. Yesterday the pain was unbearable and required hospitalization. After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months.”

The former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star, 43, later updated her followers about the surgery’s outcome: “More tumors were removed than expected: 4 in total.” While acknowledging ongoing challenges, she expressed optimism and gratitude for her support system.

Recent developments have revealed additional complications, with Mellencamp announcing the discovery of “3 more tumors in [her] brain and 2 tumors on [her] lungs,” all stemming from her melanoma diagnosis in October 2022. Despite having undergone approximately 20 surgeries, she remains hopeful about immunotherapy treatment.

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Concluding her update with characteristic spirit, she borrowed Cohen’s words: “Now, as @bravoandy would say: with all due… f*** off, cancer!”

Judge’s departure announcement came via Instagram Story, where she wrote, “It was a long run! When life gives you real problems this reality s–t doesn’t make sense. Peace out ✌️. I’m out.” When fan account @tasteof_reality questioned if this meant she was quitting, Judge simply responded, “Yes!!!”