Jon Bon Jovi Says He & Richie Sambora Watched New Docuseries Together at His Home: ‘There’s Never Animosity’ (Exclusive)

The rocker reveals he watched ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story’ — streaming on Hulu on April 26 — with former bandmate Sambora

Despite no longer being bandmates, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora have recently spent some time together privately.

Both the Bon Jovi frontman and its former guitarist were interviewed for the new documentary series Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, which begins streaming on Hulu on Friday, April 6.

“He came over and watched three parts of the docuseries at my house,” Bon Jovi, 62, tells PEOPLE of viewing three-fourths of the show with Sambora, 64. “There’s never animosity.”

The Bon Jovi rockers performed together for nearly 30 years before the rock-star lifestyle — and their breakneck pace — led to turmoil within the band, which fractured in 2013 with Sambora’s shocking exit when he was a no-show at a concert date for a tour he never rejoined. (Sambora has said he left to focus on raising his daughter amid his divorce from Heather Locklear.)

Jon Bon Jovi shot in NYC by Jake Chessum on March 26, 2024.

Jon Bon Jovi in NYC in March 2024.Jake Chessum

Throughout Thank You, Goodnight, the whole band opens up about the guitarist’s sudden exit and its impact.

For his part, Sambora says in the docuseries, “I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it, so I want to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially, and also to the guys because my feet and my spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.”

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora perform an acoustic version of "Wanted Dead Or Alive" at the 6th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Universal Amphitheatre on September 6 1989 in Los Angeles, California.

Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi performing in Los Angeles in September 1989.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Despite the band’s ups and downs, all founding members of Bon Jovi — including keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such and drummer Tico Tores — reunited in 2018, when they performed together during their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio.

These days, the band Bon Jovi is keeping busy. In addition to the docuseries, the group (which currently includes Bon Jovi, Bryan and Torres, as well as percussionist Everett Bradley, bassist Hugh McDonald, guitarist John Shanks and guitarist Phil X) will release its upcoming 16th album, Forever, on June 7. The record is the first since Bon Jovi underwent vocal cord surgery in 2022.

 

After weathering his vocal cord issues, Bon Jovi says the new record “is really about my finding joy again. What really matters in a life? It’s love and loyalty and finding things that make you want to get up out of bed in the morning.”

As he reflects on the band — and faces its future — Bon Jovi adds: “I look back at the accomplishments of the band, and my family, and I feel great pride.”