MUSIC

Jon Bon Jovi washing dishes at the Soul Kitchen in Red Bank is no online hoax

Chris Jordan
Asbury Park Press

Yes, Jon Bon Jovi does wash dishes at the Soul Kitchen in Red Bank.

The now-classic pic of Bon Jovi up to his elbows in wash water at the Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in Red Bank has been making the rounds online again, a year and half after it was first posted on the rocker's social media in March 2020.

“I’m there every day we’re open. I’m the dishwasher, that’s we do, that’s what (wife) Dorothea does,” said Jon Bon Jovi to the USA Today Network New Jersey in April 2020. “We're happy and proud to be able to have the opportunity to give back. We’ve done it for so long.” 

It was in the middle of the coronavirus quarantine and the restaurant, where diners pay what they can, was closed for on-premises dining but was doing take-out for the in-need community. Bon Jovi was photographed by his wife, Dorothea Bongiovi.

Jon Bon Jovi washing dishes at the Soul Kitchen in Red Bank on March 18, 2020.

“If you can't do what you do ... do what you can,” commented Bon Jovi. The post went viral and Bon Jovi composed a song around the "Do What You Can" theme with the help of submissions from fans. It was added to the band's most recent album,  "Bon Jovi 2020."

Snopes.com posted the story "Does Viral Pic Show Jon Bon Jovi Washing Dishes at His Restaurant?" on Oct. 11. The answer was "yes."

"The rumor has been circulating as recently as October 2021 on Facebook. This was indeed the rock star himself," Snopes said.

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The coronavirus hit close to home for the members of Bon Jovi. Band members David Bryan and Everett Bradley both tested positive for Covid-19, and Bon Jovi's son, Jake, also had a coronavirus scare.

In turn, Bon Jovi became the rock 'n' roll epicenter in the battle against Covid. When a group of Chicagoans wanted to unify the city with a city-wide sing-along from their window as a way of showing solidarity while Illinois was in a “stay at home” order due to the pandemic, Bon Jovi's “Livin’ on a Prayer” was the song they chose.

Albert McDaniel and his daughter, Kori McDaniel, of the Toms River Fire Department Co. No. 1 receive a plaque from Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea Bongiovi on Nov. 21, 2020, for winning the 2020 Soul Kitchen Chili Cook-Off in Toms River.

Upcoming, Jon Bon Jovi will receive an Intrepid Lifetime Achievement Award on Nov. 10 at the Salute to Freedom Gala, which will take place on the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City. Prince Harry and Bob Pittman, head of iHeartMedia, will also receive awards.

“Diana the Musical,” which features music and lyrics by Bryan, recently premiered on Netflix. Broadway performances begin Nov. 2, with an opening night scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Longacre Theatre.

The Soul Kitchen in Red Bank is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. There are also Soul Kitchens in Toms River, and on the Rutgers University campus in Newark.

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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.