Teddi Mellencamp’s Boyfriend Identified After PDA-Filled L.A. Outing
Teddi Mellencamp’s new boyfriend has been identified one month after she was spotted getting cozy with a mystery man in Los Angeles.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 44, is dating Ricci Rea. While Rea doesn’t appear to have a social media presence, he isn’t a stranger to the Hollywood scene. (The Daily Mail was first to report Rea’s identity.)
Rea has worked in production for unscripted TV, live shows and various national networks, including ABC, TBS and NBC, according to his LinkedIn profile. After working as an event producer, experiences and design for Fox Entertainment for two years, Rea was an event producer for AppleTV+ and later Done + Dusted as part of their unscripted and originals division in North America.
He has been a senior producer at Dorothy, a boutique creative agency, since November 2024 and lives in Los Angeles, per LinkedIn.
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Mellencamp sparked romance speculation with Rea in early June when she was photographed cuddling up to the then-unknown man during a walk in California.
Mellencamp, who is battling cancer, smiled for the camera in one picture while Rea’s arms wrapped around her, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
In another June 1 photo, Rea helped Mellencamp put a baseball cap on as they walked side by side.
A few weeks later, the reality star confirmed that she was dating someone and gave rare insight into her new beau.
“I’ve had to make it clear to people I’ve dated [that] this is where I am. This is what I’ve got,” Mellencamp said during the June 20 episode of iHeartRadio’s “Diamonds in the Rough” podcast, referring to her cancer diagnosis. “If it’s enough for you, great. If it’s not enough, I won’t be upset. I mean, yes, my feelings will probably be hurting, but this is all I got to give. And if that’s enough, great.”
She noted that she was “dating the same guy” that she was photographed with weeks earlier.
“I haven’t had to say any of those things, but he is really sweet and kind,” Mellencamp continued. “He came and picked us up this week from the show, and he could tell that I was down. He sat and watched, like, one million hours of horse show rounds. He’s just a good guy. I know I deserve it, and it’s really nice.”
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Mellencamp’s new romance comes following her split from Edwin Arroyave in November 2024. Mellencamp and Arroyave, 48, were married 13 years before she filed for divorce.
The exes put their divorce on hold five months later when Mellencamp was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. The former Housewife had previously battled melanoma but revealed in February that it had metastasized to her brain and lungs.
As Mellencamp has continued her cancer battle — many of her tumors have shrunk — Arroyave has been there for her and their three children. The estranged couple share daughters Slate, 12, Dove, 5 and son Cruz, 10. (Arroyave is also the father of Isabella, 16, from a prior relationship.)
“We’re just trying to be each other’s friend right now and be the best parents we can be [for] our kids,” Mellencamp exclusively told Us Weekly in her April cover story, explaining, “I don’t think that either of us are going to rekindle our marriage.”
Mellencamp also told Us that she and Arroyave were excited to see who the other dated moving forward because of their strong friendship.
“He’s been there for me a hundred percent, he’s been there for the kids, and we’re back to laughing,” she said of her and Arroyave’s dynamic. “We call it the ‘Divorce Chronicles.’ And I want to talk [to him] about the kind of girls [he’s] going to marry … because if these people are going to take care of my kids, this is what I want, and this is the definition of what I don’t want.”
She teased she might let Arroyave “pick the next partner” she has, but confessed, “I’m not going to listen” to him.
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Mellencamp isn’t sure what the future holds, but she said on the June 20 podcast that her current boyfriend has been nothing but supportive of her health journey as well.
“If for some reason you realize you need somebody that doesn’t have three kids, 1 million activities to do, 87 podcasts, you want more time than I’m able to give? I understand,” Mellencamp told Erika Jayne on the podcast, revealing she had an honest conversation with Rea. “I would not be mad at you for not even a second. He’s like, ‘I am willing to do anything to be able to spend time with you.’”
Jayne, 53, approves of Rea after meeting him prior to Mellencamp’s podcast appearance.
“Do you know what he said to me in the driveway when I first met him? ‘Teddi’s such a really good girl.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, she really is,’” Jayne recalled. “He knows you differently than the rest of the people that watch you.”
