Jon Bon Jovi's kids are almost as famous as he is these days. After all, his son is engaged to Netflix's biggest star, Millie Bobby Brown. Of course, that is not to say that the Bon Jovi front man does not still make news. In fact, he made a lot of news in 2020 especially when he sold his mansion for a whopping $20 million while simultaneously spending most of his days at his soup kitchen washing dishes and feeding the needy during the worst of the pandemic.
Yeah, the rock star is a pretty decent man, there is no doubt about that. And that is especially impressive when he could be just living an incredibly lavish lifestyle. He is one of the wealthiest rock stars of all time. But the man's heart clearly comes from facing quite a bit of turmoil in his life. For one, he had to be a father to his daughter during some really challenging times.
There is no doubt that Jon Bon Jovi's daughter, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi, has had a charmed life. But she did experience a trauma that has changed her life forever. While each of Jon's four kids have been through their own experiences, Stephanie's is by far the most triggering. Here is what happened, as well as how it affected the legendary "Dead Or Alive" singer.'
Updated on May 22, 2023: Since the incident, Stephanie Rose Bongiovi has chosen to lie low. The rock star's daughter does not have public social media accounts. At 29 years old, she has made a name for herself in the entertainment business, but behind the scenes. Stephanie works as a camera operator on various TV shows, and will occasionally pop up to make appearances alongside her father.
What Exactly Happened To Stephanie Rose Bongiovi?
Even though her father experimented with drugs and alcohol throughout his rock star life, there is no doubt that he did not want the same for his daughter. But, according to Rock Celebrities, Stephanie got into it hard during her college years. And this resulted in a really traumatic event that changed her life.
Back in 2012, Stephanie Rose was found in her dorm room at Hamilton College after overdosing on heroin. She was also arrested for possessing the highly addictive and dangerous drug along with one other friend, Ian. Stephanie was a first-year student at the time.
However, Stephanie's overdose was so bad that she was sent straight to the hospital. In fact, she was unresponsive for a time. Upon waking up, she called her father and came clean about what happened. Of course, as any father would be, Jon was heartbroken and terribly worried.
"It was my worst moment as a father," Jon told Metro following the incident. "The first thing she said was, 'I’m all right,' but then she said this is what happened. You wake up, you shake it off and put your shoes on and say okay, I am on the way home."
Upon her recovery at the hospital, Stephanie Rose was arrested for possession. Not only was she charged with having the heroin, but the police also found weed (which was illegal at the time) as well as a bunch of drug paraphernalia. In short, it was not something they could call a one-time thing. She had enough to essentially say that she has been living a certain lifestyle for a while.
However, both Stephanie and her friend were released under the "Good Samaritan" law and went on to live the rest of their lives. However, this traumatic moment deeply affected her family as well as Stephanie herself.
Stephanie's Life After The Terrible Incident
Both Jon and Stephanie's mom, Dorothea, wanted the press to give their daughter as much space as possible. But they also did not want to shame her too much. This is because, as Jon said in a 2016 interview, this type of thing happens to a lot of families. Rather than shame people for it, it should be an opportunity to learn. And this is precisely what happened after the incident.
While it took a physical effect on her body, Stephanie eventually got clean and did not touch the stuff again. This echoes the comments that Jon made back in 2012.
"She’s good. She’s getting through it. She’s healthy," Jon said to the press right after the incident occurred.
"The greatest gift that I have is that I have her. We’ll get through this. It was a shock for everybody, and hopefully, we learn from these life lessons. It wasn’t what you see in the movies. It’s a pill form that these kids have access to. It was the first and hopefully the last time."
Stephanie Rose did, in fact, get her life together working several internships in the entertainment world after getting clean. After graduating from liberal arts college, she modeled for Nikki Lund's fashion show, performed on stage with her dad, and now works as a freelance production assistant, according to her LinkedIn Profile.
While this event no doubt had a short-term negative impact on her life, it seems as though it was one of the biggest moments of change in Stephanie Rose Bongiovi's time on Earth thus far.