John Mellencamp and his girlfriend, Kristin Kehrberg, can thank their friends for their romance.
The “Hurts So Good” singer and the movie producer hit it off when they first met at a house party in New York. He confirmed the timeline of his relationship with Kehrberg during an August 2023 interview with Bill Maher.
While talking to a comedian on his Club by accident podcast, the recording artist revealed that he met his girlfriend “seven months ago” and that she “didn’t leave me for seven months.”
Mellencamp offered another rare update about his life with Kehrberg in October 2024, when he told PEOPLE that their relationship was “good for me.”
“So far so good. Knock on wood,” he said. “We get along great. She was married, I was married. You know, we’re adults, so you don’t have that kind of jealousy, young people.”
Their relationship began almost four years after he broke off his engagement to actress Meg Ryan. Mellencamp was briefly linked to model Christie Brinkley, but they broke up in 2016.
So who is John Mellencamp’s girlfriend? Here’s everything you need to know about Kristin Kehrberg and her relationship with the singer.
Kehrberg was previously married
Kristin Kehrberg and Dick Tarlow attend the 2018 Midsummer Eve Drink to benefit God’s Love We Deliver on June 9, 2018 in Watermill, New York.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty
Like Mellencamp, Kehrberg is no stranger to marriage. The musician married model Elaine Irwin in 1992, before divorcing in 2011. Later, his marriage to second wife Victoria Granucci ended in 1989. Mellencamp was also married to Priscilla Esterline from 1970 to 1981.
Kehrberg was previously married to Richard “Dick” Tarlow, who passed away in May 2022. The news was confirmed by Age of adswho noted that her late husband was an advertising executive.
The New York Times announced that Tarlow died “peacefully in his sleep with his wife, Kristin Kehrberg, by his side.” The publication also confirmed that his children were with him at the time of his death.
She worked as a film producer
Kehrberg is also familiar with working with A-listers, having previously worked as a film producer. She is credited with working on the 2017 rom-com The Wilde Weddingwhich starred actress Glenn Close.
Mellencamp’s girlfriend is listed as a producer on the project, which also stars John Malkovich, Star TrekPatrick Stewart and Twilight star Peter Facinelli.
Mellencamp met Kehrberg in January 2023
John Mellencamp.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
The father of five revealed the details of his romance with Kehrberg during an interview with Maher in August 2023. Mellencamp revealed that he met his girlfriend by chance at home.
“She’s a beautiful 57-year-old woman who just walked into my apartment in New York unexpectedly,” Mellencamp told the talk show host. “She was with several friends. She came in. She didn’t know I’d be there. I didn’t know it was there. We met each other.”
Mellencamp said Kehrberg was “never” “angry” with him
The Grammy winner told Maher that Kehrberg was “never” mad at him. When the comedian joked that Mellencamp and his love were in the “golden period” of their relationship, he quickly reassured him that she “never even got mad” at him.
“It’s so hard to believe. I know,” Mellencamp said during the podcast. “She has a really high tolerance threshold.”
She lived in New York
Kehrberg met Mellencamp in New York, the city she calls home. Six years before her late husband’s death, the two bought a house on the Upper East Side, according to New York Post.
During her time in New York, Kehrberg attended many A-list events. In June 2018, she and her late husband attended the 18th annual Midsummer Eve Drinks event to benefit God’s Love We Deliver.
The former couple were also snapped at the same event a year later. The charity event is held in the Hamptons each year and is often attended by more than 400 people, according to the organization’s website.
Kehrberg met Mellencamp’s children
From left: Teddi Jo Mellencamp, John Mellencamp and Justice Mellencamp at a private screening of John Mellencamp’s “Life, Death, Love, Freedom” on April 25, 2018 in New York City.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Not only did Mellencamp speak publicly about his relationship, he also introduced his girlfriend to his family. In August 2023, Kehrberg attended a school event for his granddaughter Slate with Mellencamp.
The pre-teen is the daughter of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum Teddi Mellencamp and Edwin Arroyave. While at the event, the twin pair wore white t-shirts, black pants and black trainers. They took pictures of each other hugging on the street.
He has two children
Mellencamp is not the only parent in his relationship, as Kehrberg has two children of his own. She had two sons during a previous relationship, per Page six. However, not much is known about them in public.
During her marriage to Tarlow, she was also stepmother to his children. The deceased father had three children during a previous relationship, per The New York Times.
She participated in New York Fashion Week
Kristin Kehrberg at a special preview of the “Patrick Demarchelier” exhibition in celebration of NYFW on September 9, 2015 in New York City.
Paul Morigi/WireImage
The rocker’s girlfriend not only passionately shoots films, but also spends her free time at fashion shows. Kehrberg was photographed at a special preview of Patrick Demarchelier’s exhibition in September 2015.
While at the event, she wore a gray short-sleeved blouse and a leather skirt. She completed the look with open-toed heels and sunglasses, and styled her blonde hair in a ponytail.
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Source: HIS Education