HEALTH'He’s Doing OK': Bruce Willis' Daughter Rumer Makes Heartbreaking Confession About Her Father's Dementia Battle
Rumer Willis gave a heartbreaking update on Bruce Willis’ frontotemporal dementia battle.
Nov. 21 2025, Published 8:08 a.m. ET
Rumer Willis is giving fans an honest and emotional update on her father Bruce Willis’ health as he continues to live with frontotemporal dementia. The Dancing With the Stars alum opened up during an Instagram Stories Q&A, where a follower gently asked, “How’s your dad doing? ♥️”
“The truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great,” she began, adding, “But he's doing okay in terms of somebody who's dealing with Frontal temporal dementia.”
Rumer Willis shared an update about her father’s health.
She explained that her own perspective is a little different from the medical view. Rumer said she personally “feels” her dad is doing “great,” noting that clinical “parameters” don’t really affect how she sees him.
Despite everything, Rumer shared that she’s “happy,” as she always brings her daughter, Louetta, with her whenever she visits her dad.
“I'm so grateful that. When I go over there, I hug him. Whether he recognizes me or not that he can feel the love l've given him. And I can feel back from him that I still see,” she said, seemingly referring to the home Bruce now lives in with a full-time care team arranged by his wife, Emma Heming.
"I still see a spark in him, and he feels the love I am giving, so that feels really nice," she continued. "I get to feel the love that he has for me and puts out for me, and I can love him and be with him."
Rumer Willis said anyone with FTD is 'not doing great.'
As OK! previously reported, Emma faced backlash when she revealed Bruce lives in a separate house with round-the-clock care, while she raises their daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. She addressed the criticism head-on during an interview on Good Morning America, saying she “knew” the decision would spark conversation.
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"It was a hard decision for us, but was the safest and best decision — not just for Bruce, but also for our two young girls," Emma said. "And, you know, it's really not up for a debate. Now I know that Bruce has the best care 100 percent of the time. His needs are met 100 percent of the time, as well as our two young daughters. So I'm not gonna take a vote on that."
"I feel like caregivers are so judged, and it just goes to show that people sometimes just have an opinion versus really having the experience,” she added.
Emma Heming explained why Bruce Willis lives in a separate home with full-time care.
She explained that the condition looks different in every household, insisting, “If you've seen one case of dementia, it's one case of dementia. So you have to do what is right for your family and what is going to keep your loved one safe, as well as your young children."
Emma revealed that her decision came after a serious conversation with Bruce’s neurologist, who warned her that “sometimes caregivers die before their loved ones.”
"I think that was my wakeup call to realize that I need to get help, and I'm not a failure because I need help. It's okay for me to raise my hand," she shared. "I didn't realize that. I really needed permission for someone to tell me that it's okay to get help."
The family has learned to adapt to a new way of communicating with the actor.
Bruce’s family first announced in 2022 that he was stepping away from acting due to aphasia. One year later, his diagnosis was updated to frontotemporal dementia.
While the condition has taken parts of his language and some motor skills, Emma said the blended family — including ex-wife Demi Moore and their three adult daughters — has “learned to adapt. And we have a way of communicating with him, it's just a different way."
