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 rock star.”
“I remember somebody told me a story and then I said, ‘Well, my boyfriend’s gonna be a rockstar,’ and they were like, ‘Good luck with that,’” Dorothea shared at the time.
After nearly 10 years of dating, the two tied the knot in a spur-of-the-moment ceremony in Las Vegas in 1989. The band Bon Jovi had been on their New Jersey Syndicate tour when Jon suggested the two run off to Las Vegas. Since then, the couple has celebrated more than 30 years together and share four children: Stephanie (born 1993), Jesse (born 1995), Jake (born 2002) and Romeo (born 2004).
Jon opened up about his nerves of becoming a parent to The Big Issue in 2020.
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“I remember coming home with Stephanie, our first, and thinking I have a daughter? I never even had a sister,” he said at the time. “Everyone comes to the hospital to visit and they bring flowers and balloons, and they drop your bag off and the mommies lay down in the bed with the baby, and then you’re like, oh my God. Now what?”
Despite his nerves, the rockstar said that his role as a father is one he would never change. Out of everything in his life, he would most like to relive the birth of his children.
“That was such a miracle,” Jon recalled to The Big Issue in 2020. “The birth of a human that you’ve helped create — that’s probably the most unbelievable thing that I could ever want.”
Keep scrolling to see photos of Jon and Dorothea’s relationship through the years:
1980
Jon and Dorothea met while they were students at Sayreville War Memorial High School.
1985
The two briefly split in 1985. During their break, Jon dated Diane Lane for 5 months.
“I was 20 and I think every girl should have such a wonderful experience,” Lane said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2017.
1989
Jon and Dorothea reconciled, and while the band Bon Jovi was on their New Jersey Syndicate tour, the pair ran off to Vegas and tied the knot.
“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.”
1993
Jon and Dorothea welcomed their first child, Stephanie Rose, in May in Red Bank, New Jersey.
1995
The couple welcomed their second child, Jesse James Louis, to the family in February.
2002
Jon almost missed the birth of his third child, Jacob “Jake” Hurley. The day before his son’s birth, Jon was playing a show in New Orleans. Luckily, he was able to make it back to New Jersey just in time.
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2004
The twosome welcomed their fourth child, Romeo in April 2004. Jon shared the struggles of touring while being a parent on The Ellen Show in 2009.
“It’s getting harder and harder as we tour, and you get more guilty with every tour,” he said at the time.
2006
Jon and Dorothea founded the nonprofit organization, JBJ Soul Foundation. The organization’s mission is “to break the cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness” and has built over 1,000 affordable housing units for thousands of people across the U.S.
Since its founding, the Soul Foundation also opened three JBJ Soul Kitchens in New Jersey. Dorothea came up with the idea for the pay-if-you-can restaurants, allowing those who can afford a meal to pay for those who can’t.
2007
Jon opened up to Best Life in 2007 about his and Dorothea’s long-lasting marriage, crediting her for her support and understanding.
“I’m not a saint, and I have not been a saint. And, christ, 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,” Jon said at the time. “She’s been in it the whole game. She understands what it means.”
2013
Jon and Dorothea — along with their daughter Stephanie and their two youngest sons, Jake and Romeo — attended the Winter Whites Gala at Kensington Palace. During the event, the rock star joined Prince William and Taylor Swift on stage to sing a rendition of his hit song “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
2016
Following the sudden departure of Richie Sambora from the band after three decades of playing together and a conflict between the band and their record company, Jon had almost had enough. The lead singer credited his wife for helping him through some of the worst years of his life.
“I was going through a difficult period and it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders,” Jon opened up 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,” he went on to say. “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.”
2018
After 35 years as a group, Bon Jovi were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on April 13, 2018, and the singer’s entire family showed up to support him.
Weeks later, the Bongiovi family celebrated again as Jon and his son Jesse founded their own rosé brand called Hampton Water.
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2021
Jon posted a black-and-white photo from his and Dorothea’s Las Vegas nuptials via Instagram in April 2021 in honor of their 32nd wedding anniversary.
“If I got one thing right back in high school it was falling in love with this girl. Happy 32nd anniversary baby,” he captioned the post.
2022
For Valentine’s Day in February, Jon posted a tribute to Dorothea on Instagram.
“My forever valentine,” the singer wrote under the black-and-white throwback photo of the two smiling on a motorcycle.
2023
The rockstar and his wife were spotted at Wimbledon in July 2023 on day six of the tournament. Jon sported an all-black outfit and Dorothea donned a colorful dress paired with a white Panama hat.
2024
Jon was accompanied by his wife Dorothea and their daughter Stephanie to the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year gala in February, where the “It’s My Life” singer was honored for his philanthropic work with the JBJ Soul Foundation.
In an April 2024 interview with The Independent, Jon candidly spoke about the hardships he and Dorothea faced throughout the years, praising her “tolerance” of him.
“These are all the wonderful clichés of rock stardom,” he told The Independent. “It’s about never lying about having been a saint, but not being a fool enough to [mess] up the home life, either.”
