Demi Moore Says It's 'Hard' to See 'Difficult' Bruce Willis' Personality Shift Amid Dementia Battle

Demi Moore is opening up about how tough it’s been to watch ex-husband Bruce Willis amid his dementia battle.

On Tuesday, September 2, The Substance actress joined Oprah Winfrey on “The Oprah Podcast” in a pre-recorded segment. The sit-down was part of a larger interview with Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, about her new book The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.

“It’s difficult. It’s hard to see somebody who was so vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other parts of themself,” Demi admitted.

“But you know, my particular perspective is one, 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,” she said. “And perhaps it is more playful and childlike in certain sense, because of how much more caretaking they need.”

Demi also took a moment to defend Emma, who’s been under fire after revealing she and Bruce now live separately.

"There is no road map for how to deal with this," the actress shared when Oprah asked about watching Emma step into the caregiver role.

"Obviously, being the ex-wife, even though our family is very connected, is an interesting position," Demi added. "So much fell on Emma to really figure this whole thing out, and 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 if they don't put that time into making sure that they're okay, that they then can't show up for anyone else."

Demi shared that Emma has “done a masterful job” caring for the Batman star, whose ability to communicate has begun to decline.

"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 going to go," she continued. "She has been so dedicated to forging the right path. She's had equal amounts of fear and strength and courage in navigating this. I think that this book is gonna really be very helpful for a lot of people who are walking through this."

She then stressed how “important” it is to "stay present" for Bruce.

“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 explained. “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.”

The Ghost alum and the action star, who divorced in 2000, have remained close over the years. They share three adult daughters, Rumer, 37, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31.

Bruce and Emma, who got married in 2009, also have two younger daughters together, Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11.

The Willis family first announced the actor was retiring in 2022 after his aphasia diagnosis. One year later, Emma revealed he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.