John Mellencamp Says He Was Initially 'Against' Son Hud Joining Claim to Fame But Ultimately Found It 'Fun' (Exclusive)

John Mellencamp wasn’t thrilled with his son Hud’s recent appearance on reality TV — but he’s since bounced back.

The legendary rocker, 73, tells PEOPLE he was a little hesitant at first when Hud, 30, told him he would appear on the hit ABC reality series Claim to famein which contestants who each have a secret celebrity relative go head-to-head as they try to uncover the clues that reveal each relationship.

“I was against it at first,” he says. “Me and his mother Elaine [Irwin] they were like, ‘Hud, do you really have to do this?'”

Despite his dad’s lukewarm reaction, Hud joined the cast of the show’s third season, which premiered in July. He was also excellent, coming in second behind Adam Christoferson, Michael Bolton’s nephew.

Hud Mellencamp on ‘Claim to Fame’.

Disney/Chris Willard

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“One time we watched the show and we saw him on the show, it was fun,” says Mellencamp. “It was fun for everyone in the family and for him, and he was very good.”

Hud isn’t the first of Mellencamp’s children to find fame on reality TV; daughter Teddi, 43, was a main cast member for three seasons of the show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Mellencamp is also father to daughters Michelle, 53, and Justice, 39, and son Speck, 29).

The proud dad praises Hud — who teased a post-show romance with daughter Trace Adkins Mackenzie in an interview with PEOPLE — as a “very hot kid” and a graduate of Duke University. He also points out son Speck’s skills as an artist and says he sees his boys “often” because they both live nearby.

John Mellencamp with his children, including Hud (back left) and Teddi (right).

Teddy Mellencamp/Instagram

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“[Speck] he paints for eight hours every day. Beautiful, beautiful pictures. And they’ll send them to me, and sometimes they’re so good you just can’t help but go, J— you. This is too good,’ he says.

Both sons were on hand to support their famous father when he received the life-size statue at Indiana University Bloomington on October 18.

“My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, he’d say, ‘John, here today, gone tomorrow, forgotten in two weeks.’ And that stayed with me,” Mellencamp says of leaving behind a legacy. “It made my life easier. People struggle and worry about their legacy and what they’re going to leave behind. I never cared about that. I didn’t care for that because it just wasn’t real in my brain. I didn’t need that motivation. I was always motivated because I was the luckiest guy in the world.”

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Source: HIS Education