Rumer Willis reveals ‘sweetness’ she never saw before in father Bruce amid his dementia battle
The actress has opened up about spending time with Bruce Willis following his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, describing the actor’s changing personality and the close support of their blended family.
Rumer Willis has witnessed a “tenderness” in her father Bruce Willis she says she had never seen before.
The actress and singer, 37, made the remark while speaking emotionally about spending time with her Die Hard actor father Bruce, 71, amid his ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia.
Opening up about Bruce’s health during an appearance on celebrity stylist Maeve Reilly’s podcast The Inside Edit – where she reflected on how her family has rallied around the Pulp Fiction star since his diagnosis was made public in 2022 –Rumer said: “I love getting to go over and see him.
“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.”
Rumer shares daughter Louetta Isley Thomas Willis, two, with her former partner Derek Richard Thomas.
Bruce also shares daughters Scout LaRue Willis, 34, and Tallulah Belle Willis, 32, with Demi, alongside daughters Mabel Ray Willis, 14, and Evelyn Penn Willis, 12, with Emma.
Rumer also said spending time with Bruce now felt different compared with earlier years in his life and career.
She added: “I’m so grateful that I get to go see him even though our time together is different now.
“There’s a sweetness. He’s always been this, kind of, macho dude and now there’s just such a – fragile’s not the right word – but just, like, a tenderness that maybe being, you know, Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.”
Bruce, 71, retired from acting after first being diagnosed with aphasia before his family later confirmed he had frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD.
The actor, whose career spans blockbusters including Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and Moonlighting, has remained largely out of the public eye since his diagnosis, while his wife Emma Heming Willis, 47, and former wife Demi Moore, 63, have continued to share updates about the family’s support network.
Bruce’s diagnosis has prompted growing awareness around frontotemporal dementia in recent years, with Emma increasingly using her platform to discuss caregiving and dementia support.
Demi has also spoken publicly about maintaining a close friendship with Bruce following their divorce, with the family regularly praised online for their blended approach to supporting the actor through his illness.
Rumer said the family had worked hard to remain connected during what she described as an unprecedented situation.
She said: “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.”
Last year, Rumer also addressed ongoing questions from fans about Bruce’s condition during a post shared to Instagram Stories.
She wrote: “People always ask me this question and I think it’s kind of a hard one to answer because the truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great.
“But he’s doing okay in terms of somebody who’s dealing with frontotemporal dementia, you know what I mean?”
Rumer added even though her father’s condition had changed the way she viewed wellbeing, she still felt able to connect emotionally with him.
She wrote: “(I’m so happy) that I still see a spark of him and he can feel the love that I’m giving and so that feels really nice.
“Yeah, I just feel grateful that I get to go over there with Louetta, and we get to spend time with him and I get to feel the love that he has for me and that he puts out for me and that I can love him and be with him.”
