HEALTHDementia-Stricken Bruce Willis Honored by Tom Bergeron During 'DWTS' as His Daughter Rumer Returns to the Ballroom
Tom Bergeron paid tribute to Bruce Willis amid his dementia battle as his daughter Rumer returned to 'DWTS.'
Nov. 12 2025, Published 11:43 a.m. ET
Tom Bergeron took time during his return to Dancing With the Stars to pay tribute to Bruce Willis.
Six years after his departure from the ABC series, the former host, 70, judged the 20th anniversary episode on Tuesday, November 11.
Season 20 winner Rumer Willis came back to dance in a relay with Dylan Efron. In between comments about the performance, Tom honored the singer's father, who has been suffering from dementia.
Rumer Willis returned to 'Dancing With the Stars' for the show's 20th anniversary.
"One of the highlights of your season was meeting your dad. And I just want to send my warm wishes to you, your dad, and your family," Tom expressed.
Rumer, 37, won Dancing With the Stars in 2015 alongside pro Valentin Chmerkovskiy. During yesterday's return to the ballroom, she helped Dylan secure two extra points and a spot in the semi-finals.
Bruce Willis' Dementia Battle
Bruce Willis is living independent of his wife.
Tom's comments about Bruce, 70, come amid the Die Hard alum's ongoing health struggles. The star was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023 and has been living separately from his wife, Emma Heming Willis.
"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," the model explained in a Tuesday, September 9, interview on Good Morning America. "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."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Bruce Willis suffers from dementia.
She went on to emphasize how difficult it is facing public scrutiny as a caregiver in the spotlight.
"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. And I'll say that dementia plays out differently in every household," she said. "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."
Tom Burgeron returned to judge an episode of 'Dancing With the Stars.'
The 49-year-old went as far as to claim 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 expressed. "I didn't realize that. I really needed permission for someone to tell me that it's okay to get help."
