Demi Moore may be overstepping a boundary with fans who have begun to question her stake in Bruce Willis’ life.
The “Die Hard” actor has been living with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) for the past year. He was diagnosed with aphasia, a cognitive disorder, in 2022, which led to his retirement. His FTD diagnosis came six months later.
The public learned of his health issues when the family released a statement in February 2023 to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. Since then, Moore has regularly been asked about the progression of the disease. Most recently, at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival on Oct. 13.
She was on hand to receive the Career Achievement in Acting Award but used part of her time on stage to speak about Bruce.
“You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is,” said the “G.I. Jane” actress, adding, “But for where he’s at, he is stable.”
The public would not have regular insight on the actor’s condition without Moore’s willingness to speak about her ex-husband. The former couple was married for 13 years when they divorced in 2000.
They are parents to three adult daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. He married his second wife, Emma Heming Willis, in 2009. They are parents to two young daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.
Moore further stated, “What I always encourage is to just meet them where they’re at. When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game,” and “when you show up to meet them where they’re at, there is great beauty and sweetness.”
I find the continuing relationship between Demi Moore + Bruce Willis to be so moving 🥲 pic.twitter.com/pLGGI4msHL
— K8 Hagen 🦂 (@thathagengrrl) March 19, 2024
Her update comes weeks after reports suggested the family is preparing for “the inevitable.” A purported insider told Radar Online in September, “They wonder whether he’ll even make it to his 70th birthday,” which is on March 19.
However, not everyone is pleased to hear about Bruce’s stable condition from Moore; instead, several want to hear from Emma.
An Instagram user critically commented on an US Weekly post, “She isn’t even his wife anymore. Apparently they are all friends and well adjusted but this seems like something either he or his current wife should discuss publicly if warranted.” While a second user commented, “Shouldn’t his wife update the world , how weird.”
But the Make Time Wellness co-founder has not remained silent on the matter. Emma’s commitment to Bruce led her to become an advocate for FTD and much of her social media presence has been dedicated to posts about the ailment.
She attended the 14th International Conference on Frontotemporal Dementia in September, and in a heartfelt video to followers, she imparted a lasting message: “We’re all in this together.”
Emma has been steadfast in advocating for awareness, research, and resources for families impacted by the disease since Bruce’s diagnosis. Multiple individuals came to her defense as critics attempted to slam her for not issuing updates to the media.
“She does a lot actually,” read one such comment. Another example of people rallying in her corner stated, “She is helping her children accept this. I admire her and his current wife for acting like this.”
The action star is seldomly seen in her posts, the last being a photo of the couple sharing a peck on the lips in her birthday post on June 27. “Bruce would call it my ‘birthday month.’ So we must celebrate!” she wrote.
Before that, she paid tribute to him on Father’s Day with a carousel of images of him and his five daughters—Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn—through the years.
The post was simultaneously shared onDemi’s and the three eldest daughters’ Instagram pages too.
