- Emma Heming Willis responded to criticism following a recent TV interview in which she revealed that her husband, Bruce Willis, lives in the family’s second home.
- The model said that “caregivers are judged quickly and unfairly by those who haven’t lived this journey.”
- The Die Hard actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
Emma Heming Willis is speaking out after receiving criticism for the caregiving arrangements she and her family have made for her husband, Bruce Willis.
The model revealed that her spouse is living in a “second home” with his 24-hour health team in an interview with Diane Sawyer for the special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, which aired on Wednesday.
Now, in an Instagram video, she’s defending how her family has approached the Die Hard star’s lifestyle amid his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, which has affected his ability to communicate.
Willis said the ABC News interview “did a beautiful job with amplifying FTD awareness as well as shining a spotlight onto caregivers,” but she also acknowledged that she knew the special would ruffle some feathers when it came to her “sharing some of our intimate information” with the world.
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Willis described the reactions to the interview as being divided between “people with an opinion versus people with an actual experience,” noting that the latter category has far more insight into caregiving than the former.
She also read an excerpt from her upcoming book, The Unexpected Journey, which discusses her experience as a caregiver. “Everyone will have an opinion, but you have to remind yourself that most don’t have the experience to back it up,” Willis read. “And if that’s the case, they shouldn’t offer their two cents about it, and you shouldn’t pay them any mind.”
She continued, “Even if someone is closely familiar with dementia or the condition you’re caring for, they aren’t in your home, so they don’t know how your person is behaving or your family dynamics.”
Willis added that she’s doing her best to keep the negative criticism out of her mind. “The truth is that the opinions are so loud and they’re so noisy,” she said, “but if they don’t have the experience of this, they don’t get a say — and they definitely don’t get a vote.”
Emma, who acted alongside her husband in the films Perfect Stranger and Red 2, also advocated for caregivers in the caption of her post.
“Too often, caregivers are judged quickly and unfairly by those who haven’t lived this journey or stood on the front lines of it,” she wrote. “Sharing openly may invite opinions, but more importantly, it creates connection and validation for those actually navigating the realities of caregiving every day. That’s who I share for, and so I can build a deeper connection with a community that understands this journey.”
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
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Emma and Bruce Willis share two daughters: Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. The Sixth Sense actor also has three daughters from his previous marriage to Demi Moore: Rumer, 37; Scout, 34; and Tallulah, 31.
During her interview with Sawyer, Emma did not suggest that it was easy or comfortable to arrange for her husband to live in the family’s second home. “It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make,” she said. “But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
The model also said she visits her husband at least two times a day, and that the single-story home he’s in is easier for the actor to navigate than the family’s primary residence.
“We are there a lot,” she said. “It’s our second home, so the girls have their things there. It is a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter, and it’s been beautiful to see that.”
