Bruce Willis is one of the most beloved modern-day action heroes for his roles in classic movies like Die Hard, The Sixth Sense and 12 Monkeys, and fans were devastated when he was forced to retire from acting due to his health. Since the actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, his wife Emma Heming Willis has offered us peeks into their lives and his condition. She provided an update in a new interview, saying he’s losing the ability to communicate.
Emma Heming Willis spoke to Diane Sawyer for the upcoming ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, which will air on the 2025 TV schedule on August 26. In a preview for the interview, Heming Willis said that while Bruce is still mobile and healthy overall, her husband’s brain is “failing him,” and it’s affected how they can speak to each other. She said:
The language is going, and, you know, we’ve learned to adapt. And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a … different way.
She said despite their waning communication, Bruce Willis’ family — which includes five daughters, three who he shares with ex Demi Moore and his two youngest with Emma Heming Willis — still see flickers of his cheerful personality. They cherish those times, his wife said, continuing:
Not days, but we get moments. It’s his laugh, right? Like, he has such, like, a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported.
Tallulah Willis posted photos of her dad in one of those good moments earlier this summer, showing him smiling and hugging his kids, though she had to defend herself to fans who questioned if she should share images from the actor’s private life. The 31-year-old said she used her discretion and chose to show “a day full of smiles” because she knew how much it would mean to Bruce Willis’ fans.
Also, those times can be far too fleeting, Emma Heming Willis said:
And it’s just hard to see, because as quickly as those moments appear, then it goes. It’s hard. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful that my husband is still very much here.
The Unbreakable star’s family has been fairly open about their journey, sharing both highs and lows. Tallulah Willis said it’s important to use their platform to raise awareness or provide support to others in a similar position. Rumer Willis admitted Father’s Day was particularly “hard.” For her part, Emma Heming Willis is speaking out on behalf of caregivers and has written a book — The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path — that’s set to come out September 9.
This latest update regarding his communication may be more discouraging than fans were hoping for, but Bruce Willis has given us some amazing quotes over the course of his career, and nothing can take that legacy away.
If you want to hear more, tune into Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, August 26, on ABC and streaming the next day with a Disney+ subscription or Hulu subscription.