While fans may think that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are permanently estranged, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Ahead of the April 26 streaming debut of their documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, Jon told Entertainment Tonight that he and Sambora watched the first three episodes of the documentary together. He said it was the first time he saw Sambora — albeit onscreen — apologize for leaving the band in 2013.
“It was never about money, it was never about a girlfriend. He had issues … and he literally didn’t show up. We were playing for 20,000 people and there’s a black hole on the stage,” Jon told ET about Sambora’s departure.
“Substance abuse or anxieties or single parenting, all those things weighed on him, losing his dad. These were all very hard things,” Jon continued. “But in fairness, why would I take away the livelihoods of … the band…? [What about] … the millions of people that bought a ticket? What am I going to do? Shut it down because you don’t want to go to rehab?”
However, Jon said that in the past 10 years he and Richie have been able to heal their relationship. As Jon told ET, “You read, you talk to professionals, you sit with yourself, you learn to understand from a different perspective that his choices weren’t made out of animosity either.”
Bon Jovi’s new album, Forever, is coming out June 7, but Jon says he won’t tour until his voice is 100% back following the vocal surgery he had in 2022.
As he put it, “I won’t compromise who we are as a band live, because I’d like to think we’re a pretty darn good band.”
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