Dorothea Bongiovi and Jon Bon Jovi attend the UK Premiere of “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” Dave Benett/WireImage
While Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley fell in love at a young age, they have worked through their marital struggles.
The couple grew up in the same hometown and met while attending Sayreville War Memorial High School. During a joint appearance on the Howard Stern Show in 2023, Hurley teased that when they were teens she knew Bon Jovi (real name John Bongiovi Jr.) would be a rockstar one day — and she was proven right.
While they dated in the 80s, the musician formed his band, Bon Jovi. Jon and Hurley briefly split in 1985 as the rock band continued to grow more popular. The twosome rekindled their romance and tied the knot in Vegas while Bon Jovi was on tour.
“We had the No. 1 album, the No. 1 single, and we were playing three nights at the Forum in L.A.,” Jon told Men’s Health in 2010. “I turned to Dorothea and said, ‘I got an idea. Why don’t we go right now?’ She said, ‘You’re out of your mind.’ I said, ‘Come on. What’s better than this, right now, this moment?’ And so we ran off to Las Vegas. Didn’t tell a soul.”
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum Jon Bon Jovi met the love of his life Dorothea Hurley when she let him cheat off of her in their history class. The high-school sweethearts appeared on The Howard Stern Show in May 2023 and Dorothea said that even back then, Jon “was a […]
Jon and Hurley have been together since. However, the singer has been candid about his struggles to balance his marriage with the rockstar lifestyle.
“These are all the wonderful clichés of rock stardom,” Jon said in an April 2024 interview with the Independent. “It’s about never lying about having been a saint, but not being a fool enough to f–k up the home life, either.”
Keep scrolling to see what Jon has said about his marriage over the years:
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley, attend the Rockers 1985 awards ceremony Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images
Knowing What They Have
Jon shared that Hurley was well aware of what she was signing up for as a rockstar’s wife.
“I’ve been in one of the biggest rock bands in the world for 25 years,” he said in a 2007 interview with Best Life magazine. “It’s not like Dorothea came in halfway through the movie and didn’t know who she got.”
The Grammy winner confessed that his wife was enough for him and the thought of “trading in or trading up” his partner never crossed his mind.
“I don’t have a mistress on the side or another family across town,” he said at the time. “You’re never going to read that story about me. I have no regard for that whole lifestyle.”
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorthea Bon Jovi at the 1995 Grand Opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Being There for Each Other
While going through a difficult time in his life, he was grateful to have Hurley by his side.
“It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders,” he recalled to The Mirror in 2016. “Without her, I am not sure how I would have coped. A lot of these things added up and a snowflake became an avalanche. I am proud to say I have been with one band my whole life, one record label my whole life and one wife my whole life.”
Dorthea Bon Jovi and Jon Bon Jovi at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival Stephen Lovekin/WireImage
Working Through Their Problems
“I got away with murder. I’m a rock and roll star, I’m not a saint,” Jon recalled in an April 2024 interview with ABC News. “You know, I’m not saying that there weren’t 100 girls in my life – I’m Jon Bon Jovi. It was pretty good.”
Despite his rockstar status, the singer noted that he would never do any “stupid thing” that would “jeopardize” his relationship with Hurley.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this world revolves because of her,” he continued, noting how his wife cared for their four children: Stephanie, Jesse, Jake and Romeo, while he was on the road. “Because of what she did to keep the kids right, what she does to keep me right, what we do together to keep it right. No doubt about it.”
Jon explained that Hurley isn’t afraid to call him out when he needs it while also supporting him during his low points.
“She’s also there when I fall. And I’m there for her when she falls,” he said. “No matter where I went in my career, the ups or the downs, we went there together.”
Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley at the 2012 Premiere Of “Stand Up Guys” Jim Spellman/WireImage
Staying Happy
In an April 2024 interview with Fox Digital, Jon teased that he “somehow” became the “poster boy for a long-married rock star.”
“I think it’s just the mutual admiration society. I think it’s as simple as that,” he said at the time. “You wake up in the morning excited to be with each other. And you admire each other. And you respect each other. It’s a pleasure to do. It’s a pleasure to be.”
