Why did Richie Sambora leave Bon Jovi? Jon Bon Jovi says 'there's never animosity' with former bandmate who watched his docuseries at his house

Richie Sambora recently appeared for an interview that would be featured in the upcoming series, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. Sambora was an important part of the rock band Bon Jovi for around 29 years until he decided to leave the group due to personal problems in 2013.

The guitarist was accompanied by Jon Bon Jovi for the conversation. While speaking to People magazine, Jon said:

"He came over and watched three parts of the docuseries at my house. There's never animosity."

The new documentary is arriving at Hulu on April 26, 2024, and will cover everything about the band. Speaking about his decision to leave the band, Sambora said on the show:

"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."

---

Richie Sambora was going through a lot of issues when he left the band

The Perth Amboy, New Jersey, native left Bon Jovi more than 10 years ago. As previously stated, Richie Sambora's personal issues caused his departure, and a source for People magazine also confirmed last month that the band was facing additional internal problems at the time. The source also stated:

"His dad died, Heather divorced him."

Meanwhile, on March 14, 2024, John Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock that he and Richie had not been in touch with each other for a long time. He added that the primary reason for this is that Richie Sambora is not a part of the group anymore.

The singer said that both of them still share a lot of love, and he spoke about Richie's decision to leave Bon Jovi. He stated:

"And there were emotional issues that he was dealing with as a single dad, and there were substance abuse issues that, you know ... Phil X had to show up one time, and then Phil X had to show up another time. And then, again, there's a show that night. What are we gonna do?"

Also known as Richard Stephen Sambora, he contributed to 12 albums by the band and released three projects in his solo career.

---

Richie Sambora spoke on his exit from Bon Jovi in another interview

Back in 2020, the Undiscovered Soul singer had a conversation with People magazine, saying that it was not easy for him but that there was no option left for him. He said that he had to deal with his personal life and added:

"We've been through a lot of things together. That was a time of psychological maintenance for the family. You know, I ain't no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that's what happened."

Richie Sambora addressed the time he has been spending with his daughter, saying that he could return home quickly without the need to "stay on location." He even spoke about the relationship he shares with Ava and continued:

"Luckily I was making enough money to be able to have a private plane, get my a*s home and see my kid even if it was only for one day. If it was Halloween, it was boom, home."

People magazine also reported at the same time that Ava had completed her graduation from Loyola Marymount University. The musician expressed his happiness about the same in his interview, saying that he was happy to know that his daughter would turn out to be "an amazing young woman with a bright future."

Ava was born from Richie Sambora's marriage to Heather Locklear, a famous face in the entertainment industry. The duo were married from 1994 to 2007.