John Mellencamp Is Dating a Woman 15 Years Younger Than Him

Award-winning singer John Mellencamp may be almost 80, but he’s still going strong, both professionally and romantically. In January 2026, John announced his greatest hits world tour would be happening, which he titled Dancing Words Tour — The Greatest Hits, and it kicks off on July 10, 2026, and runs through Aug. 12.

Work aside, John has also been dating executive producer Kristin Kehrberg, who is 15 years his junior. Here’s everything to know about their relationship, including how they met, plus a little tea on John’s past marriages and romances.

John Mellencamp and Kristin Kehrberg have been going strong ever since they started dating in 2023. During his August 2023 interview with Bill Maher on his Club Random podcast, John shared details about their relationship, including how they first met. He revealed that they had met “seven months ago” and noted that at the time, they were practically glued to each other’s sides.

The two first crossed paths in January 2023 at his New York home. “She’s a beautiful 57-year-old woman who just walked into my apartment in New York unexpectedly,” Mellencamp told Bill. “She was with a couple of friends. She walked in. She didn’t know I was going to be there. I didn’t know she was there. We met each other,” he said, and presumably started mingling, staying together ever since.

As for Kristin herself, she’s established in Hollywood, having worked as an executive producer on The Wilde Wedding (2017), which starred John Malkovich, Glenn Close, and Patrick Stewart, according to IMDb. She was previously married to Dick Tarlow, who passed away in May 2022 at the age of 81.

Dick was a longtime ad executive whose clients included Ralph Lauren, Revlon, and Neutrogena, according to Ad Age. Before Dick, Kristin had welcomed two children from a previous relationship, though details about them have been kept pretty private, according to Page Six.

As for John, he, too, has had his own marriages and welcomed a few children over the years.

John has been married three times. His first marriage was in 1970 to Priscilla Esterline, and they stayed together until 1981. Later that same year, he tied the knot again with his second wife, Victoria Granucci. They divorced in 1989, and by 1992, John was ready for marriage number three, marrying Elaine Irwin. They divorced in 2011.

Over the course of these marriages, John welcomed five children.

He had his first daughter, Michelle Suzanne Mellencamp, with Priscilla in 1970. With Victoria, he had daughter Teddi Jo Mellencamp in 1981, whom you might recognize from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and son Justice Mellencamp in 1985. During his third marriage, John and Elaine welcomed son Hud Mellencamp in 1994 and son Speck Mellencamp in 1995.

After his marriages, John also dated some high-profile stars, including Meg Ryan, who he was with for nearly a decade, and model Christie Brinkley, which lasted about a year.