Demi Moore and Bruce Willis may have divorced more than two decades ago, but that hasn't stopped The Substance actress from fiercely defending her family after his wife, Emma Heming, received backlash over their living situation. Emma announced that Bruce had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023, a year after the Die Hard star had withdrawn from the spotlight. In a recent interview with Diane Sawyer, she revealed that the family had made the difficult decision to move him into a separate home so he could receive around-the-clock care.
Family ties
Emma appeared on The Oprah Podcast on Monday ahead of her book release for The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path. In the interview, Oprah Winfrey played a clip from Demi in which she shared her awe at the former model's strength amid Bruce's health battle.
"There is no roadmap for how to deal with this, and obviously, being the ex-wife, even though our family is very connected, is an interesting position, and so much fell on Emma to really figure this whole thing out," she said. Demi and Bruce were married from 1987 to 2000, and welcomed daughters Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.
The Oscar nominee added that "the most beautiful thing – and she talks about this in the book – was recognizing the importance for caregivers that they have to take care of themselves, and that if they don't put that time into making sure that they're okay, then they can't show up for anyone else".
"I have so much compassion for Emma in this, being a young woman, there's no way that anybody could have anticipated where this was gonna go, and I really think she's done a masterful job," Demi said. Bruce and Emma married in 2009, and share daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. The mother of two is incredibly close with Demi and her three daughters.
Changing tides
The star went on to reveal how her relationship with Bruce had changed since his diagnosis, adding that it was important to be present with him. "It's difficult. It's hard to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other part of themself," she explained.
"But you know, my particular perspective is…I really always say it's so important just to meet them where they're at. Don't have an expectation of them needing to be who they were or who you want them to be, and when you do that, I find that there is an incredible sweetness and something that's soft and tender and loving."
Demi continued: "Really, the most important place for me is showing up and being present, just being present, because if you project where it's going it only creates anxiety. If you replay where it was and what you've lost, it only creates anxiety and grief." She shared that "when you stay present, there is so much, and there's still so much of him there. And it may not always be verbal, but it is beautiful given the givens."
Devastating decision
During the Diane Sawyer interview, which aired on ABC on August 27, Emma explained why she made the decision to move Bruce into a separate home where he could be cared for full-time. "It was one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make so far," she recalled. "But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs." She added that they visit daily, often eating dinner with the 70-year-old or watching a movie together.