Accusing her of using his pain for her gain, Bruce Willis’ wife Emma struck back at online trolls, attacking her supportive messages, with an earnest, yet brilliantly aggressive, warning to “watch this space because I didn’t come here to play.”
Emma Heming Willis, recently responded to an Instagram troll who suggested she was using her husband’s frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis for five minutes of fame. Admitting that she’s using her celebrity status to bring awareness, Heming also shared that despite her grieving and sadness, she will continue to champion her husband, the star of Pulp Fiction.
“I just saw something about me getting my ‘five minutes’, which is great, which means that you’re listening. So, I’m going to take my five minutes and I’m going to turn it into 10 because I’m always going to advocate for my husband,” she said.
Married since 2009, Emma, 44, and Willis, 68, share two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. Emma is the step-mom to Willis’ three children, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, from his marriage to Demi Moore, which ended in 2000. The proud, loving father of five became a new grandfather in April when his eldest daughter Rumer, also an actor, gave birth to Louetta Isley Thomas Willis.
In a February statement released through The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, the family writes, “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that – if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.” It was signed by Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn.
The announcement has been met with an outpouring of love from fans, friends, and medical professionals, offering blessings and advice on coping with the devastating diagnosis.
Since revealing Willis’ FTD diagnosis–a progressive brain disorder commonly targeting personality, behavior and language–Emma has been using her social platform to educate the public on how to support loved ones living with FTD, which can cause extreme shifts in personality and behavior.
Honoring her husband’s wishes, and doing as he would do, Emma has been posting Instagram Live conversations with experts, offering advice on a variety of subjects relating to dementia, like early onset dementia and communication. Unapologetically using her fame, Emma intends to bring attention to FTD, emphasizing the need for more research funding, community resources, and education about the disease.
Fans were shocked when the family shared last year that Willis–famed for his portrayal of the maverick cop John McLane in the Die Hard franchise–was stepping away from acting. One of Willis’ earliest reported symptoms was aphasia–commonly connected with dementia–explaining why Willis, at 67, was no longer able to perform.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Aphasia is a disorder that affects how you communicate. It can impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.
On March 2, in his first public outing since before his diagnosis, Willis was swarmed by shutterbugs while out for coffee with friends. Radar Online writes, “Bruce Willis looked like a glimpse of his former action-hero self, stepping out for the first time in public since his family revealed he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia…As Bruce and his pals made their way down the sidewalk, the retired actor seemed befuddled when one paparazzi tried to talk to him.”
A video of that outing shows his friends trying to shield him while they get him safely down the sidewalk and into the car.
On March 4, Emma begged paparazzi, “In service of raising awareness around dementia, because that is my goal,” to leave her husband alone. “I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space. For the video people, please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking him how he’s doing or whatever. The woohoo-ing and the yippee ki-yays–just don’t do it. OK? Give him his space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from point A to point B safely.”
The Sixth Sense star has been silent for many months, but in a video of his family celebrating his 68th birthday, his recognizable voice is clear but brief. He appeared on camera, smiling–a tooth missing from his once mischievous grin–as Emma and his children sang Happy Birthday, in the video recorded and posted by his ex-wife.
In a heartwarming compilation of videos posted on her Instagram, Emma writes, “He is pure love. He is so loved. And I’ll be loving him always. Happy Birthday my sweet. My birthday wish for Bruce is that you continue to keep him in your prayers and highest vibrations because his sensitive Pisces soul will feel it Thank you so much for loving and caring for him too.”
After a career of memorable performances, like The Last Boy Scout (1991), Armageddon (1998) and Red (2010 and 2013), the award-winning actor appeared for the last time in the 2019 Sci-Fi film, Assassin. The Chicago Sun Times writes about his performance, “…he seems present in the moment and he delivers his lines efficiently, but we don’t see much of the trademark twinkle, there’s very little physicality in the role, and it’s highly doubtful even a single word was improvised. He seems disengaged–and yes, it’s possible our perceptions are clouded by what we know of his diagnosis–but still, we cannot help but feel an overall sense of sadness.”
It is so heartbreaking that Bruce Willis’ career ended in a way that’s contrary to the oftentimes indestructible characters that he portrayed. It’s a reminder of mortality and how unpredictable life can be. Still, it’s makes us happy that he has Emma, Demi and his children, as his biggest cheerleaders, supporting him on his journey and bringing awareness to empower others experiencing the same!
What are you favorite Bruce Willis movies? And what are your thoughts of online trolls who are trying to destroy Emma’s genuine efforts?
