Jon Bon Jovi gives update on friendship with Richie Sambora

Richie Sambora had left Bon Jovi abruptly in the middle of the band’s world tour in 2013

Jon Bon Jovi and bandmate Richie Sambora had no hatchet to bury in the first place.

During a Q&A at a screening of the band’s docuseries, Thank You Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the Bon Jovi frontman, 62, set the record straight on his friendship with Sambora, 64.

Sambora, who was the lead guitarist of the band, had abruptly left in 2013 in the middle of their world tour.

Jon was asked whether he would perform again with Sambora, to which he shared that while Sambora “didn’t show up” for a number of shows, their friendship never ended.

“There was never a fight,” said Jon. “There was substance abuse, there was anxiety, there was being a single parent, there was a lot of personal issues he was going through. But never to this day did any of us, me or him or David [Bryan] or Tico [Torres], ever have a fight.”

The rocker noted that Sambora had “some issues that he just couldn’t wrap his head around” and he had to be “home more than he wanted to be on the road.” However, he added that one has to “show up for work.”

“So, there’s no animosity,” Jon continued. “An integral part of my story for three of the four chapters was my right-hand man, asked to join my band and I was lucky to have met him. But life went on.”

Jon also shared that it was “unfortunate” for the band and “the world” that he quit but he was “not mad about it.”