Emma Heming Willis said husband Bruce Willis is “doing really well with an unkind disease” in her latest update on the Hollywood legend, who is living with frontotemporal dementia.
Heming Willis spoke to Savannah Guthrie on TODAY on Dec. 2 after they both took part in the Hidden Heroes gala in Washington, D.C., which honored military caregivers.
Heming Willis was given the Tom Hanks Caregiver Champion award for her advocacy work on behalf of all caregivers. Hanks typically co-hosts the event with Savannah but was under the weather for the ceremony on Dec. 1, so actor Ryan Phillippe stepped in.
Heming Willis, 47, has been open about her journey caring for the “Die Hard” actor, 70, who was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia. The neurodegenerative disease affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
Savannah asked her how the legendary action star is doing.
“It’s such a loaded question. It’s hard to answer,” Heming Willis said. “But honestly, today, great. He is surrounded by love and care, and he is doing really well with an unkind disease.”
Emma Heming Willis gave an update on what life is like for husband Bruce Willis, who is living with frontotemporal dementia. Michael Kovac / Getty Images for End Well Projec
Heming Willis, who shares two daughters with her husband, told TODAY.com in September that the frontotemporal dementia had affected Bruce’s ability to communicate and understand others.
“For us, now, our communication is different, but our connection is very much intact,” she said.
The experience of caring for her husband has led Heming Willis to feel a kinship with the nearly 6 million caregivers of U.S. military veterans in the U.S., she said. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation, which created the Hidden Heroes initiative, brought Heming Willis together with caregivers like Nikki Stephens at its annual gala.
Bruce and Emma share two children together.@emmahemingwillis / IG
Stephens’ husband, John, a former U.S. Marine, suffered a traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq in 2004. He was recently diagnosed with major neurocognitive disorder after he began suffering from memory loss and confusion.
Meeting other caregivers like Heming Willis has helped Stephens persevere as her husband’s illness has advanced.
“My fellow caregivers were absolutely the first ones I talked to,” Stephens told Savannah on TODAY. “The support is … I don’t know what I would do without it, to be honest.”
Heming Willis has also drawn strength from seeing what challenges military spouses and families face with a positive attitude.
“There is like an instant sort of comfort level that I have never really received anywhere else,” Heming Willis said. “We really do truly understand what each one is going through.”
“And in a world today that feels so disconnected, there is something truly meaningful and beautiful about a connection between a caregiver and a caregiver,” she added.
Stephens and Heming Willis both stressed that a crucial component for caregivers is knowing that they are not alone.
“Don’t hide it, don’t be afraid of it, speak about it. Tell it,” Stephens said. “Bring awareness with that, and with that you’ll find your people.”
