Jon Bon Jovi ‘Almost Cried in a Laundromat’ Thinking About His Eldest Son Jesse: ‘He’s Come So Far’ (Exclusive)

“I’m so incredibly proud of what Jess has accomplished here,” Bon Jovi tells PEOPLE about their wine brand, Hampton Water

Jon Bon Jovi and Jesse Bongiovi attend Hampton Water celebrates Bubbly with Jon Bon Jovi at La La Laundry on January 30, 2025 in New York City. . Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hampton Water

Jon Bon Jovi may be a rock icon, but he’s not afraid to shed a tear or two when it comes to being a proud dad.

The singer-songwriter, 62, has been working alongside his son Jesse on their Rosé label, Hampton Water Wine, since 2018 and feels “incredibly proud” of the choices Jesse has made for the brand.

“I have to say that 99.9% of everything Jess has come up with, I’ve just said yes,” Jon tells PEOPLE at a Hampton Water event at La La Laundry in late January. “We agreed on everything from the minute he came up with the name.”

For Jesse, 29, working with his dad on a concept they were both new to has been “a lot of fun.”

“When we first started, it’s not like I went to him and said, ‘I want to start a rock band.’ We had this idea, and we were both very green in it,” Jesse shares about the brand’s inception eight years ago. “We knew that it was a fun name, a cool label and a great liquid. But there were a lot of conversations of, ‘I think this is a cool idea. What do you think?’ And it was like, ‘I don’t know, let’s try it.’ So doing a lot of that experimentation and bouncing ideas off of each other has been a ton of fun.”

Jon Bon Jovi and Jesse Bongiovi attend Hampton Water celebrates Bubbly with Jon Bon Jovi at La La Laundry on January 30, 2025 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hampton Water

Jon admits the Hampton Water event was an emotional experience.

“As if I didn’t love him enough already, just seeing what he’s accomplished… When I walked into a laundromat, I almost cried,” Jon laughs. “So I mean, he’s come so far. I have nothing at all to do with this business, nothing. It’s all him. And to have accomplished and become the No. 3 premium rosé in the country, I mean, how can you not be proud of that?”

Jesse adds, “It’s just been a blast. It’s been so much fun getting to work together and what started as driving around New York City and going out to Long Island turned into going to Dubai to meet with Hilton, going to Germany and London. To see the success of it and get to do these crazy things together… it’s been fun.”

Although Jon’s in business with his eldest son — “because I’m the best-looking son and the smartest,” Jesse jokes — the “Livin’ on a Prayer” artist says he “could not be more proud” of all his children’s achievements.

Inductee Jon Bon Jovi and family attend the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio.Kevin Mazur/Getty

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“I actually, honest to God, I’m so incredibly proud of what Jess has accomplished here, but that should not at all demean the incredible work of the others,” he says of his other children: Stephanie, 31, Jake, 22, and Romeo, 20. “Where Jake’s at with his movie career and his producing career, and Romeo’s new music is awesome. And then Steph is the eldest of all of ’em, and I think she’ll be the boss of all. So I could not be more proud of each one of ’em. It’s going so well.”

Jesse then quips, “But just so you know, I’m the favorite… for the record.”