To the world, Jon Bon Jovi is a rock star. To his four kids, he's just dad.
Bon Jovi, whose real name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr., is the focus of the upcoming Hulu series called "Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story," out April 26. The 4-part docuseries takes fans through the past, present and future of the band, and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the singer’s personal health struggles.
The singer shares his four kids — Stephanie, Jesse, Jake and Romeo — with his wife, high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley. Despite "Thank You, Goodnight" pulling the curtain back on much of Bon Jovi's life, his and Hurley's kids are barely talked about in the documentary — and based on what the couple has said in the past, it's likely an intentional choice.
“We never really drag the kids to things,” Hurley told People in November 2016. “I never pointed at the TV and said, ‘There’s Daddy!’ We try hard just to give our kids a normal life.”
She explained that her husband's job is "his life, not ours," and that putting family at the center of everything takes "priority."
But the docuseries does touch on the birth of Bon Jovi's eldest child and only daughter, Stephanie Bongiovi, as a milestone for the band entering a new chapter: parenthood.
"Steph was born, she was the first baby in the band," Bon Jovi said in Episode Three. "She'd be on the road with us, Dorothea would be out on the road."
"When Stephanie was first born, she was three weeks old, and she had a passport," Hurley recalled. "But when he was touring America, we made the decision that we wanted the family to be together and that, I took her on the road.
"I think he liked having the kids there. I know that it made him happy to have his family with him," she continued.
Now, the rocker's kids are all grown up. Read on to learn more about Bon Jovi's four children.
Stephanie Rose Bongiovi
In 1993, Bon Jovi and Hurley welcomed their first child together, daughter Stephanie Bongiovi. The singer was inspired by his daughter to write the single, "I've Got the Girl," which he talked opened up about during a 2017 show in Las Vegas.
“Everybody’s got a little girl in their life,” the musician said, addressing the audience during his performance of the song. “Their daughter, their girlfriend, their wife, their mamma — it all goes by so fast. And they start out as little bitty babies, and their future’s looking bright. And I wrote this song for that little baby, who’s now not such a little baby anymore.”
Then, Stephanie Bongiovi joined her father on stage for the performance.
The father-daughter duo had come a long way since a tough period that occurred back in 2012. At the time, Stephanie Bongiovi, then 19, was arrested after a suspected heroin overdose in her Hamilton College dorm room and charged with drug-related violations.
“Worst phone call ever,” Bon Jovi told Katie Couric on her "Katie" talk show of the incident in March 2013, according to E! News.
The "It's My Life" singer said the incident was a major wake-up call for him, and he didn't know how to deal with the situation.
“I’m just blessed she’s healthy and whole, and we’ll get through it," he said.
According to her IMDb page, she has worked as a camera operator and assistant on various TV shows, including "Impractical Jokers."
Jesse Bongiovi
Less than two years after welcoming their first child, Bon Jovi and Hurley welcomed their first son, Jesse Bongiovi, in 1995.
The athlete attended the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where he played football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
During his senior year at the school, Jesse Bongiovi came up with a plan to create Hampton Water, a rosé wine brand, with his dad.
Speaking to Haute Living in August 2022 for a profile about their wine company, the eldest Bongiovi son recalled how his father's love for the drink inspired him to start a business.
“He always had it around the house — it was his drink of choice. He always jokingly would call rosé ‘pink juice.’ And one night — it was more like 2 a.m. — he offered us a glass of ‘pink juice,’" Jesse Bongiovi explained, adding that he and a college roommate began to tease the rockstar for his word choice.
"We were literally like, ‘Come on, you’re in the Hamptons, you don’t call it that, you call it Hampton water, because when you drink with us, that’s what we call it.’ He kind of lit up and started laughing.”
He told Haute Living that the brand started off with distribution in 13 states and as of August 2022, was available in 50 states and 50 countries.
Jesse Bongiovi said patience is the greatest lesson his dad ever taught him
"Being the young businessperson that I am, I am often expressing a desire to rush to do things," Jesse Bongiovi told the outlet. "But my dad’s advice has always been, ‘You can’t take it back. You tell someone go, you put something out, you say something, you do something, you make an agreement with something — you can’t go back. There’s no putting the toothpaste back in the tube, so make sure that when you are overwhelmed, when you are rushing to do something, when you’re trying to hurry up to get something done, don’t be afraid to say, "I need 24 hours. I need another 30 minutes. I need one more look at that before we go out."' I don’t always follow it, unfortunately, but I’m constantly working on it."
That same month, Jesse Bongiovi announced that he had proposed to his girlfriend, Jesse Light. He shared the news by sharing two photos of them kissing on Instagram with the caption "Time To BeReal."
Jacob Hurley Bongiovi
In 2002, Bon Jovi welcomed his third kid, son Jake Bongiovi, with Hurley.
In 2020, the "Livin' on a Prayer" singer announced Jake Bongiovi got accepted into Syracuse University when he posted a photo of the two standing next to a bunch of orange balloons.
"Congratulations to Jake Bongiovi for his acceptance to Syracuse University!" Bon Jovi wrote.
In November 2021, Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown went Instagram official, and in April 2023, the pair got engaged.
On April 11, 2023, Brown shared a black-and-white photo on Instagram of Jake hugging her from behind while they both laughed. “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ‘em all,” she captioned the pic using a Taylor Swift lyric.
In the snap, Brown sported a ring on her left hand.
Jake, who shared a similar post on Instagram, captioned his "Forever 🤍."
Romeo Jon Bongiovi
In 2004, the “You Give Love a Bad Name” singer welcomed his youngest child with Hurley, a son named Romeo Bongiovi.
In 2021, Bon Jovi celebrated his youngest's 17th birthday by sharing a picture of his son and Hurley together.
“Happy 17th birthday Romeo!!! Love, Mom and Dad,” Bon Jovi captioned the snap.
In the picture, Romeo Bongiovi wore a Nirvana T-shirt, a blue face mask and brown jeans.
As the youngest of the Bongiovi clan, Romeo Bongiovi is the last one in his family to graduate from high school. Bon Jovi and Hurley told People in an October 2020 interview that they were “definitely looking forward” to being empty nesters.
“Just not being stuck to a schedule and being able to travel (will be nice)," Hurley said. "But we like to see our kids. It’s not like we’re going to disappear.”
CORRECTION (April 24, 2024, 7:47 a.m.): A previous version said Stephanie Bongiovi was 21 when she was arrested after a suspected heroin overdose in her Hamilton College dorm room and charged with drug-related violations in 2012. She was 19 at the time.