‘Totally Disrespectful to His Wife and Children’: Jon Bon Jovi’s Romantic Anniversary Post Backfires as Long History of Cheating on His Wife With 100 Women Reemerges
American rock musician John “Jon Bon Jovi” Bongiovi Jr., 62, took time to honor his wife, Dorothea Bongiovi, on the 36th anniversary of their marriage.
On April 29, Bon Jovi shared a celebratory three-photo carousel on his Instagram page. The Bon Jovi band frontman’s post included a image of 36 red roses place in a glass vase.
Bon Jovi also displayed a picture of the couple in their younger days. His third slide featured a snapshot of a sign of the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, the location where the pair eloped on April 29, 1989.
“36 roses for 36 amazing years. Happy anniversary, my love,” Bon Jovi wrote in the Instagram caption. The New Jersey native’s followers shared positive reactions to his loving message for the mother of his four children.
For instance, one fan on Bon Jovi’s Instagram page exclaimed, “Beautiful couple, happy anniversary!” Likewise, a fellow supporter of the Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee posted, “I love this couple! Happy anniversary.”
Elsewhere on the internet, Bon Jovi’s jubilant message for Dorothea was met with negative reactions. In particular, critics zeroed in on his admission to having multiple affairs throughout his marriage.
“These are all the wonderful clichés of rock stardom,” Bon Jovi told The Independent in April 2024. “It’s about never lying about having been a saint, but not being a fool enough to f— up the home life, either.”
That same month saw Bon Jovi elaborate on his infidelity during an interview with ABC News correspondent Michael Strahan. The video interview included the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer sharing his thoughts about his past indiscretions.
“I got away with murder,” Bon Jovi admitted to the retired Super Bowl-winning NFL player. “I’m a rock and roll star. I’m not a saint. I’m not saying there weren’t 100 girls in my life. I’m Jon Bon Jovi.”
He also said about his wife, “There’s no doubt in my mind that this world revolves because of her, 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.”
In addition, Bon Jovi acknowledged that Dorothea is “not afraid” to call him out when he is wrong. The Grammy Award winner added, “But she’s also there when I fall, and I’m there for her when she falls.”
Bon Jovi confessing to cheating on his spouse on multiple occasions soured some people’s responses to the “36 roses” Instagram post dedicated to his high school sweetheart-turned-life partner.
The Daily Mail comment section was loaded with responders slamming Bon Jovi for committing adultery hundreds of times as he commemorated the date of his wedding vows to Dorothea on social media.
“A cheater is a cheater. Doesn’t matter if it happened once, twice, or 50 times. I wonder about her self-esteem if he found others appealing,” one commenter stated.
Another person commented, “I see no reason why this should be celebrated. Celebration of his wife’s bravery? Ummmm, no.” A third posted, “He cheated a lot.”
“He was very promiscuous and totally disrespectful to his wife and children,” someone declared. “It is not marriage, but a friendship, while he is virtually single, had nothing to do with the value of marriage and its sanctity. It is a very bad example for our young people to follow.”
In contrast, Bon Jovi received some back-up on the site. For example, a fan voiced, “I love him, whatever he’s done. His music has given me hours of pleasure as it has to millions of other folk.”
The Bon Jovi band broke out as a mainstream act with the release of the group’s “Slippery When Wet” album in 1986. “Slippery When Wet” spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and eventually earned Diamond certification from the RIAA in July 2024.
Bon Jovi scored four No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Livin’ on a Prayer,” “Bad Medicine,” and “I’ll Be There For You.” The “Wanted Dead or Alive” song became the biggest hit of their career by selling over 6 million copies.
In 2009, Bon Jovi was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His solo discography contains the “Blaze of Glory” and “Destination Anywhere” albums. The Bon Jovi band earned a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction as part of the 2018 class.
Jon met Dorothea at Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey. Their impromptu nuptials in April 1989 came at the height of Bon Jovi’s popularity. The rockers dropped the chart-topping “New Jersey” album in September 1988.
“I missed tons of birthdays and school plays. But it’s not like Dorothea came in halfway through the movie and didn’t know who she got, and the divorce settlement is this because of that. She’s been in it the whole game,” Bon Jovi told Men’s Health in 2010.
He continued, “She understands what it means. It’s my life, and it is what it is. But, really, I don’t look at this week’s hot starlet and think about trading in or trading up. I don’t have a mistress on the side or another family across town. You’re never going to read that story about me. I have no regard for that whole lifestyle.”
Jon and Dorothea have four children together: Stephanie Rose (born 1993), Jesse James Louis (born in 1995), Jacob “Jake” Hurley (born in 2002), and Romeo Jon (born in 2004).