Is this Teddi Mellencamp's ultimate Housewife move?

New details are emerging about what may have prompted the divorce filing by former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp from her now-estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, and it is not looking good for Teddi. Multiple news outlets are reporting that since May, Teddi’s been having a months-long affair with a married father and friend of the couple, a horse trainer identified as Simon Schroeder.

Teddi filed for divorce two weeks ago on November 1, and made the announcement reluctantly a day later on her Instagram. Her divorce filing lists the separation date as October 20, but days later, she and Edwin were seen being affectionate at an event. 

Rumours about her affair with Simon were first reported by The Daily Mail. But when other outlets like Page Six, In Touch Weekly and Us Weekly piggybacked on the news, the story exploded – and the picture being painted by all of the outlets and the sources reporting the details into them is a very messy one. 

The gossip is that Teddi’s affair with Simon, whose wife is also a close friend of Teddi’s, began back in May. While Simon’s wife was giving birth to the couple’s second child in California, he was in Florida with Teddi at an equestrian event, which his wife found suspicious. 

When Simon returned to California, his wife is reported to have found inappropriate text messages between him and Teddi, which led to a heated public confrontation. Simon and Teddi allegedly confessed to the affair, promising it wouldn’t happen again. All three kept it a secret from Teddi’s husband because Simon’s wife had no intentions of leaving and wanted to give Simon another chance.

But word is, not only did Teddi and Simon continue seeing each other, the relationship was becoming increasingly emotional, and that’s when Teddi decided to tell Edwin. Allegedly. 

As I mentioned, none of this is looking good for Teddi. But she has pointed the finger at Edwin about his own infidelity in the past. Just last year around this time, Teddi insinuated on her podcast, Two Ts in a Pod, which she cohosts with Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge, that he had been unfaithful to her at some point in their marriage. 

If true, it’s just messy as hell. But also, it could explain Teddi wanting to get her lick back. In fact, I think there was a lot of writing on the wall about why Teddi may have been unfaithful and what may have driven her away from her marriage.

First, Teddi had a really short stint on the show, only lasting two seasons. And for a lot of filming, she was pregnant. She couldn’t drink, she couldn’t let loose in the way the other women could (and certainly did, I mean, the Beverly Hills women party). And because she was expecting, she was often mocked and teased by women like Sutton Stracke who once admitted she was afraid Teddi was going to be ‘boring’. Then, by Erika Jayne who, forgetting pregnant women shouldn’t eat raw fish served only sushi and alcohol at an event she was hosting, leaving Teddi to drink water and water only. No matter how maternal you are, being defined by your pregnancy, by your motherhood, can be a tough pill to swallow.

Secondly, Teddi gave birth to her last child, Dove, in 2020. Considering that was during the pandemic, it’s likely she felt isolated not only in her pregnancy, but in the months following Dove’s birth, which typically entail a full house and lots of visits from family and friends. To add insult to injury, she was axed from the show for being exactly what Sutton thought she’d be (boring, unengaging and lacking in intriguing storylines), which a lot of fans agreed with.

There’s also the fact that she endured a recent cancer battle. As recently as September, Teddi was having her 16th melanoma removal surgery, which meant medication, painful treatment and massive scarring on her back. 

On top of all that, her marital issues are by no means new. In a podcast episode from March 2023, Teddi reflected on where her marriage was when she was approached by producers to be cast on the show back in 2017, describing some of the reasons she resented Edwin at the time:

“We were always kind of equals when we were together. I rode horses, I was competitive and I was all these things. Then I couldn’t get pregnant naturally, I did all these IVFs. Then, all of a sudden, he was in charge of our finances, and I had never been that. I never not had my own money, I had been working since I was 17. Then I just started hating him.”

So while it is absolutely inexcusable that Teddi and Edwin’s alleged marital issues led to having the impact it did on another marriage, one which, while we may not know all the details, left a wife without her husband while she was in one of the most vulnerable positions a woman might ever be in, labour, the writing was on the wall for Teddi and Edwin. This is a lot to navigate in a relationship where the bones aren’t good and helps illuminate the possible reason she may have gone looking for love elsewhere and ultimately filing for divorce. The latter of which, sources suggest may have been strategic as it barred Edwin from having the opportunity to leverage her infidelity. 

Now, I have felt that in recent years, Teddi was on a campaign to be brought back onto the show. Ok, perhaps campaign is a bit of an exaggeration, and a better phrase may be that she’s “making a case” to be considered for recasting. Between her podcast with Tamra, and remaining very Housewives-adjacent, even appearing in the most recent season of Real Housewives of Orange County and crediting former co-star Kyle Richards with giving her strength to walk away from Edwin, all of this signals to me that she’s open to being recast. And we know that the only thing Bravo producers love more than a divorce or separation is rumours of an affair. Except, perhaps, a villain, which is exactly what she’d be. Fans are already filling her Instagram comment sections remarking how disgusted they are with her behaviour, expressing sympathy for Simon’s wife and the children, all of whom have been affected by Teddi’s actions. 

With the latest season set to air next week, it’s obvious the timeline doesn’t allow for her immediate return. But I would not be surprised if producers came knocking, because this is one very big, primetime mess.