Jeana Keough, a former “Real Housewives of Orange County” cast member and a frequent model in ZZ Top music videos, alleges that her dentist missed her tongue cancer, according to a recently published story in Page Six.
Keough, 70, who currently can’t talk and is expected to have a feeding tube for the next six months, told the publication via email that she continues to undergo treatment, which includes radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Keough has a 40% to 60% cure rate within the next five years, according to the story.
In 2025, Keough said she saw her dentist for a sore on her tongue. She claims the dentist said the sore was from one of her teeth digging into her tongue, according to the story.
By Gina Hughes, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108075481.
During multiple visits, the dentist filed down the tooth. At no time, she claimed, did the dentist tell her to see a specialist or get a biopsy.
After her third visit, she was referred to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor. The ENT physician immediately told her it was cancer, Keough said in the story.
She and her family believe the dentist should have diagnosed her sooner.
Between 2006 and 2012, Keough was a main cast member on the “Real Housewives of Orange County.” In addition to being one of three muses featured in ZZ Top music videos for its "Eliminator" album, Keough was Playboy’s Playmate of the Month in November 1980.
