What to Know
It’s been more than three years since Bruce Willis’ family publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). And because fans of the iconic actor want to know how he’s doing, his loved ones are often asked to share updates. Most recently, during an appearance on The Inside Edit podcast, stylist Maeve Reilly asked her good friend Rumer Willis how things are going with her father.
Rumer explained that this is a difficult question to answer. Their relationship has changed due to his diagnosis, but she’s also “grateful” for every moment that she shares with him.
Rumer, who is the eldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, said her dad is doing “OK.”
Demi has had similar responses to the same question over the past several years. When Maeve asked Rumer about her dad, she said, “He’s… It’s such a funny question because it’s like, he’s OK, in the context of what his reality is, you know what I mean?”
She continued, “Because it’s not the same as—it will never be the same as it was.” At the same time, she feels incredibly “grateful.” “I love getting to go over and see him,” she revealed.
She’s also “grateful” that her daughter, Louetta, had the chance to meet Bruce.
Rumer welcomed her daughter in April 2023, a couple of months after her family publicly shared Bruce’s FTD diagnosis. Prior to being diagnosed with FTD, Bruce was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022. On the podcast, Rumer said, “I’m so grateful that I have a child that got to meet him. Because I don’t know if my sisters will have that. You know, who knows? I’m just so grateful for all the things that I do get.”
Bruce has five daughters. He shares Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 32, with Demi. He later welcomed two daughters, Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12, with his current wife, Emma Heming Willis.
Although things are obviously different now, Rumer really values the time she gets to spend with her father.
“I’m so grateful that I get to go see him,” she said. “I have other friends whose parents have passed and, even though our time together is different now, I’m so grateful still that I have this time.”
Another unexpected silver lining for her is that she has experienced another side of her father that she might not have seen otherwise. Rumer added that “there’s a sweetness” to him now. “You know, he’s always been this kind of macho dude,” Rumer reflected. “And now, there’s just such a … tenderness that maybe being Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.”
Of course, Rumer has other people to lean on as well. A lot of fans have admired the way her blended family has come together and supported each other as they navigate the ups and downs. “I’m so grateful for how our family has kind of rallied together in this way,” Rumer said. “And you know, we don’t do it perfectly, but we’re always striving to continue to create connection and find ways to be with each other and support each other through something that is kind of unprecedented.”
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