The Golden Raspberry Awards (or the Razzies) are the one time of year when the film industry gets called out for dropping box office flops and critically ravaged films. It’s usually all fun and games as Hollywood and actors either shy away from or embrace it. This year, the awards show dedicated an entire category to Bruce Willis based on his 2021 output, which he won for the sci-fi film Cosmic Sin. But following the actor’s recent aphasia diagnosis, the organization rescinded the honor.
What Sparked the Online Backlash for the Razzies?
Rescinding the award was a great gesture from the organization. But before the good gesture was announced, the Razzies put out a tweet following the Willis family announcing his retirement due to his medical condition. Unfortunately, several followers took issue with the tweet leading to an online backlash. See the poorly received message from the award show’s Twitter below.
The Razzies are truly sorry for #BruceWillis diagnosed condition. Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021. Our best wishes to Bruce and family.March 30, 2022
How the Razzies Recovered from the Tweet
Upon seeing the tweet, followers called out the award show for what was perceived as a poorly timed message. Many fans defended Willis in their replies while suggesting a better message for the organization. The backlash prompted the Razzies to release an official statement to Entertainment Weekly announcing they were retracting the award. The awards show said:
After much thought and consideration, the Razzies have made the decision to rescind the Razzie Award given to Bruce Willis, due to his recently disclosed diagnosis. If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.
Honoring the worst of the worst is the organization’s brand but learning of the Die Hard actor’s memory-loss illness put the category in perspective for the Razzies. After multiple filmmakers recalled witnessing signs of Willis’ eventual diagnosis while on set, the voting body chose to reevaluate the honor and give the Emmy winner some reprieve for his recent work. Knowing Willis’ memory issues allowed the awards to show a different side outside of lampooning Hollywood every year.
The heartbreaking news of the Hollywood actor’s diagnosis was shocking to both fans and the film industry. His wife Emma Heming Willis unveiled the film and TV icon’s aphasia diagnosis in a heartfelt Instagram post, where she announced the illness would force him to retire from his acting career. The statement was a family effort as his ex-wife Demi Moore and daughters from both unions joined Heming Willis in signing the post. The news didn’t just devastate his family as his Hollywood friends and co-workers, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Glass director M. Night Shyamalan, reacted to the news in the comments section of Moore’s follow-up post.
While Bruce Willis may no longer pop up on the small or big screen, viewers can see the actor in multiple upcoming movies dropping in 2022. Until his final films arrive, you can salute Willis by bingeing his film and TV roles across multiple platforms, including HBO Max and Amazon Prime.