Richie Sambora Opens Up About BON JOVI Docuseries: “I Disagree With a Lot of Stuff”
Former BON JOVI guitarist Richie Sambora is voicing serious concerns over how he was portrayed in Hulu’s Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, calling it “Jon’s baby” and claiming it fails to reflect the true history of the iconic band he helped shape.
In a candid interview with Billy Corgan on The Magnificent Others, Sambora described how he was asked to do a brief interview for the documentary while leading a songwriting clinic at Abbey Road. “I didn’t even know what the premise of this thing was,” he admitted. “So I was trying to be funny… and none of it really got in the documentary.”
Despite BON JOVI frontman Jon Bon Jovi inviting him to a private screening and claiming “there was never animosity,” Sambora walked out during the third episode. A source later told People he was “sick and tired of what he was seeing” and felt his departure was unfairly framed. “To him, the currency of happiness is more important than the currency of money.”
In a separate interview with Allison Hagendorf, Sambora went further: “I probably would have left earlier,” he said of his 2013 exit, explaining that Jon had long harbored solo ambitions. “We have to make this a band situation if we wanna invade the planet,” he recalled telling his bandmate before the Slippery When Wet era.
Now 65, Sambora remains proud of his 32 years with BON JOVI but believes Thank You, Goodnight missed the mark. “There’s one thing that’s not in there,” he quipped. “And it’s everything.”
Still, he hasn’t shut the door on a potential return. “If Jon gets his voice back, I’ll go play. I got songs,” he teased, referencing his solo track “I Pray,” which he originally earmarked for BON JOVI.
While fans may have hoped the docuseries would serve as a harmonious celebration, Sambora’s comments reveal lingering tensions—and a desire for his side of the story to be heard. Whether he rejoins or not, one thing is clear: Richie Sambora’s contributions to BON JOVI can’t be edited out of history.
