Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley, give love anything but a bad name.
The high school sweethearts have been married since 1989 and share four children: daughter Stephanie and sons Jesse, Jake and Romeo.
The longtime couple have kept their relationship out of the spotlight, but the Bon Jovi frontman made headlines in April 2024 when he admitted he has not “been a saint” in his marriage.
See a timeline of Bon Jovi and Hurley’s decades-long romance below.
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1980: Met in high school
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Bon Jovi, whose real name is John Francis Bongiovi Jr., and Hurley began dating in 1980 while attending Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey.
“She let me cheat off her in history. I was immediately drawn to her from the minute I saw her, and that never changed,” he told People in 2020.
The “Livin’ on a Prayer” crooner explained that he and Hurley were able to develop a level of “mutual respect” by “having grown up together and grown together.”
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“I always said I was good at spotting potential, too. I have a gift,” Hurley added.
The karate instructor recalled in a 2023 interview on “The Howard Stern Show” that she had told her classmates that her then-boyfriend was “gonna be a rock star.”
1985: Briefly broke up
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The couple temporarily split in 1985, leading Bon Jovi to date actress Diane Lane for five months.
“I was 20, and I think every girl should have such a wonderful experience when she’s that young,” Lane said in a 2017 episode of “Watch What Happens Live.”
1989: Eloped in Las Vegas
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After getting back together, the “It’s My Life” singer asked Hurley to marry him while touring with his band in 1989.
“We had the No. 1 album, the No. 1 single and we were playing three nights at the Forum in LA,” hetold Men’s Healthin October 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.”
Bon Jovi later admitted to the Mirror that his “manager was furious” he had tied the knot because “America’s boy is now married.”
1993: Addressed his alleged affairs lyrically
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After achieving global success and touring the world for most of the 1980s, Bon Jovi released a 1993 single called “Bed of Roses.”
In the song, he famously addressed his alleged affairs while touring.
“Now as you close your eyes / Know I’ll be thinking about you / While my mistress she calls me / To stand in her spotlight again / Tonight I won’t be alone / But you know that don’t mean I’m not lonely / I’ve got nothing to prove / For it’s you that I’d die to defend,” he sang.
1993-2004: Welcomed 4 kids
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The couple spent more than a decade expanding their family while Bon Jovi embarked on a solo musical career and dabbled in acting.
He and Hurley became parents when she gave birth to their eldest child, daughter Stephanie Rose Bongiovi, on May 31, 1993. They mostly kept Stephanie out of the public eye, but she would occasionally hop onstage with her dad.
In 2013, Bon Jovi recalled the “horrible moment” he learned Stephanie had suffered a heroin overdose the year prior. She has since gone through recovery and joined her parents on public outings.
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The couple welcomed their first son, Jesse James Louis Bongiovi, on Feb. 19, 1995. He went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame and worked with his dad to create their own rosé wine company, Hampton Water.
On May 7, 2002, Hurley gave birth to their second son, Jacob “Jake” Hurley Bongiovi. He made headlines in April 2023 when he got engaged to “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown.
Bon Jovi and Hurley completed their family when they welcomed their fourth child, son Romeo Jon Bongiovi, on March 29, 2004.
2010: Admitted he’s ‘not a saint’
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The Grammy winner praised Hurley for understanding his rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle while reflecting on not being a “saint” during the same candid conversation with Men’s Health in 2010.
“I’ve been in one of the biggest rock bands in the world for 25 years, and I’m not a saint, and I have not been a saint. And, Christ, I missed tons of birthdays and school plays,” he recalled.
However, Bon Jovi pointed out that Hurley has “been in the whole game” and understands” that “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,” he clarified.
2018: A family appearance
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Bon Jovi, Hurley and all four of their children gathered to celebrate the band Bon Jovi’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 13, 2018.
The family of six wore hues of black and dark blue as they smiled while making a rare red carpet appearance together.
They had previously attended the Winter Whites Gala at Kensington Palace in 2013, but Jesse was not present.
2024: Doubled down on not being a ‘saint’
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Bon Jovi revisited the topic of his relationship when talking to the Independent about the “wonderful clichés of rock stardom” in April 2024.
“It’s about never lying about having been a saint, but not being a fool enough to f–k up the home life, either,” he told the outlet.
Just one day later, the songwriter confessed on “Good Morning America” that “every day is a challenge and a change” in his relationship.
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“But if you’re growing together, hopefully things will work out,” he added.
Hurley then raised eyebrows when she skipped the premiere for her husband’s documentary, “Thank You Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” later that month.
However, Bon Jovi’s rep told Page Six that Hurley had gotten sick with COVID-19 and could not attend.
