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Jon Bon Jovi On His Grandpa Nickname and Spoiling His Granddaughter

The Livin’ on a Prayer singer has fully embraced grandpa life after his son Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown adopted their first daughter earlier this year.
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By Wyndi Kappes, Associate Editor
Published October 23, 2025
Jake Bongiovi, Millie Bobby Brown, Dorothea Hurley, and Jon Bon Jovi attend the Damsel World Premiere at The Plaza on March 01, 2024 in New York City
Image: Dimitrios Kambouris | Getty Images

Jon Bon Jovi isn’t like a regular grandpa—he’s a cool papa.

The “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer officially became a grandfather this August when his son, Jake Bongiovi and Millie Bobby Brown, adopted their first baby girl. “Immediately you fall in love,” Bon Jovi told Today’s Savannah Guthrie. “You know, when we met Jake and Millie’s daughter, it was just immediate. You’re like, ‘That’s my granddaughter.’”

Bon Jovi might be “Grandpa” to the rest of the world, but to his granddaughter, he’s simply “Papa.” A fitting and funny choice, given how often the name popped up in Bobby Brown’s Stranger Things, papa seems to already be wrapped around his granddaughter’s finger. “She won’t be able to walk for at least 10 or 12 years because Papa will be carrying her everywhere she goes,” he joked.

The rock star will head back to Madison Square Garden next summer for his “Forever” tour and he’s hoping for a very special fan in the audience. “Get those little baby headsets so she can come to the tour!” Savannah joked. “Yeah, I count on that,” Bon Jovi said.

Reflecting on his career, his four children, one grandchild and another on the way, Bon Jovi believes the tour and everything going forward is just extra. “I’ve never not been grateful. This is all pixie dust at the end,” he told TODAY’s Willie Geist. “What have I got? I’ve got a wife and family that love me. I’ve got a band that believes in me. I’ve had a good life.”

Looking for a cool grandparent name of your own? Check out these unique grandpa and grandma name lists for some inspiration.

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