Jon Bon Jovi Admits He ‘Nearly Cried in a Laundromat’ Reflecting on His Son Jesse’s Journey: ‘He’s Come So Far’
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“I’m beyond proud of everything Jess has achieved with this,” Bon Jovi shared with PEOPLE regarding their Hampton Water wine brand.
Jon Bon Jovi may be a rock legend, but when it comes to fatherhood, he’s not afraid to get emotional.
The 62-year-old musician has been collaborating with his son Jesse on their Rosé brand, Hampton Water Wine, since 2018 and couldn’t be prouder of the direction Jesse has taken with the business.
“I have to say, 99.9% of what Jess has come up with, I’ve just said yes to,” Bon Jovi shared with PEOPLE at a Hampton Water event at La La Laundry in late January. “We’ve been on the same page from the moment he came up with the name.”
For 29-year-old Jesse, teaming up with his dad on a completely new venture has been an exciting experience.
“When we started, it wasn’t like I told him, ‘I want to start a rock band,’” Jesse says of launching Hampton Water eight years ago. “We had this idea, but we were both new to it.”
He recalls the early days of building the brand, saying, “We knew we had a fun name, a cool label, and a great product. But there were so many conversations like, ‘I think this could work—what do you think?’ And the response was, ‘I don’t know, let’s try it.’ Experimenting and bouncing ideas off each other has made it such a fun journey.”
Jon admits that the Hampton Water event was a deeply emotional moment for him.
“As if I didn’t already love him enough, just seeing what he’s accomplished… I walked into a laundromat and nearly cried,” Jon says with a laugh. “He’s come so far. I have absolutely nothing to do with this business—it’s all him. And to see it become the No. 3 premium rosé in the country? How could I not be proud?”
Jesse reflects on their journey, adding, “It’s been an incredible ride. What started as driving around New York City and heading out to Long Island turned into traveling to Dubai to meet with Hilton, going to Germany and London. Watching it grow and getting to share these experiences together has been amazing.”
Although Jon has teamed up with his eldest son—“because I’m the best-looking and the smartest,” Jesse jokes—the Livin’ on a Prayer singer says he couldn’t be prouder of all his children’s accomplishments.
“I honestly, truly couldn’t be prouder of what Jess has built here,” Jon says. “But that doesn’t take away from the incredible work of my other kids.”
He goes on to praise his children’s individual accomplishments: “Jake is doing amazing things with his movie and producing career, Romeo’s new music is awesome, and Steph, being the eldest, I think she’s going to end up being the boss of them all. I couldn’t be prouder of each one of them. Everything is going so well.”
Jesse then playfully adds, “But just for the record… I’m still the favorite.”