Jake Bongiovi, 20, may be used to making headlines for being Jon Bon Jovi‘s son, but for the past year he’s been doing so for a different reason. The hunk began dating Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, 18, in the summer of 2021 and have been nearly inseparable since! They’ve been seen sharing ice cream sundaes, enjoying romantic afternoon hikes, and even vacationing in Italy together. Their sweet PDA around New York and LA has already become iconic. Now, after making their red-carpet debut at the 2022 BAFTAs and maturing as a couple, they’re both enrolled in college classes and moving forward — and that’s something Jake really likes about his highly accomplished girlfriend.
“Jake goes to Syracuse University and puts a big value on higher education so he’s absolutely cheering Millie on in this,” a source told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY in August, referring to Millie’s studies through Purdue University. “His whole family is not big on the fame game, they really encourage their kids to stay grounded and that’s one of the things that they love so much about Millie, she’s totally down to earth and hasn’t let any of the Hollywood stuff go to her head. They are very proud of her for getting into Purdue, it’s a great achievement.”
Here are five things you should know about Jake and his background.
His siblings include sister Stephanie, 28, and brothers Jesse, 26, and Romeo, 17. His parents, who grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey and met in 1980, were married in 1989 after being high school sweethearts. Jon admitted his future wife was initially seeing someone else at the time of their meeting, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing her.
“Dorothea was going out with one of those guys who joined the service. He left town … and you know the five-second rule when you drop a piece of toast on the ground? I gave him three weeks,” he jokingly told Best Life in 2017. “We started dating, and that was the end of that.”
Millie and Jake confirmed their rumored romance in June 2021 when they were seen adorably holding hands in New York City, so the Godzilla vs Kong beauty and her beau have been together for a little over a year.
The signs had already emerged before the PDA pics, though. Jake posted a pic in a car together on June 3 and wrote “bff” in the caption along with a heart, via Instagram He was making a kissing face to the camera in the pic as he wore a white baseball cap and black T-shirt. Millie, who was wearing a patterned blazer as she sat beside him, had her head angled down and gave a fierce look into the camera. Since then, they’ve been seen getting cozy all over town, with Jake visiting Millie on the Atlanta set of her latest movie The Electric State in October of 2022.
Back in Nov. 2018, Jake shared an Instagram video, which can be seen above, that showed him sitting in a car with the senator from New Jersey as he was playfully quizzed on the history of his home state. “As a Bongiovi, you’re supposed to be an expert on New Jersey,” Cory says to the teen in the clip. He goes on to ask him where the M&M’s candies were invented before Jake laughingly asks, “M&M invented? That’s not a New Jersey question!” The politician laughs along with him and tells him it was invented in the “Garden State” before he jokingly says, “Fail!”
“Had a blast traveling through NJ with senator @corybooker on Wednesday! Being able to spend time with such an incredible leader was a truly inspiring experience. #jerseystrong,” Jake wrote in the caption of the video.
In various social media pics, like the one above, Jake has showed off his similar looks to the popular “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer. Between his longer blondish hair and facial features, it’s definitely clear to see he is the son of Jon and often resembles the musician in his younger years.
Jake made headlines for being one of the organizers of the student walkout at Pennington School on March 14, 2018. He and fellow student Rickey Eng put together the walk to protest government inaction on mass killings in American schools one month after 17 students were killed in the tragic shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. “It’s enough. It’s happened too many times that we watch it,” Jake told nj.com about the reason for the walk at the time. “And we cannot let it go away this time.”