Jon Bon Jovi opens up about his estrangement from former bandmate Richie Sambora

The two appear, albeit separately, in the Bon Jovi Hulu docuseries “Thank You, Goodnight.’

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are “not in contact” since Sambora abruptly left the band in 2013.

Both Bon Jovi and Sambora appear, albeit separately, in the forthcoming Hulu docuseries Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. Ahead of the doc’s premiere in April, the singer is giving a little insight into his relationship with the band’s former lead guitarist.

Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi in 1985.ROSS MARINO/GETTY

“We’re not in contact because he’s not in the organization any longer,” Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock about Sambora. “Doesn’t mean that there’s not love forever, but it’s 11 years ago that he just didn’t show up anymore. 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?”

Sambora left Bon Jovi in 2013 during the first leg of their Because We Can tour, just hours before the band was due to perform in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. At the time, Sambora cited personal issues, later telling PEOPLE that he had no real choice in the matter. He was officially replaced by guitarist Phil X in 2016.

“It wasn’t a popular decision by any means, obviously, but there was really almost no choice about it. I had a lot of conscious work to do around [my personal life],” Sambora said 2021. “I had people around me that loved me, and it was a good thing I got through it … I realized [daughter] Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that’s what happened.”

Sambora joined Bon Jovi in 1983, replacing original lead guitarist Dave Sabo, who went on to form Skid Row. Sambora released his first solo album, Stranger In This Town, in 1991, but continued to play and tour with Bon Jovi until 2013. Since leaving Bon Jovi, Sambora has only reunited with the band once to play their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2018 — though he hasn’t ruled out a proper reunion down the road.

“I don’t regret leaving,” Sambora says in the trailer for Thank You, Goodnight. “I regret how I did it.”

Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story premieres on Hulu April 26.