Bruce Willis Makes First Public Appearance Since Dementia Diagnosis, Thanks First Responders Battling L.A. Fires – Hollywood Reporter
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 14: Bruce Willis attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterIn an Instagram post shared by his wife Emma Heming Willis on Thursday, Willis can be seen shaking hands with a Los Angeles police officer.
By
Lexy Perez
Associate Editor
Bruce Willis made his first public appearance since his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis to thank the first responders continuing to battle the L.A. wildfires.
In an Instagram post shared by his wife Emma Heming Willis on Thursday, Willis can be seen shaking hands with a Los Angeles police officer and posing for a photo. Heming Willis set the black and white video to the Led Zeppelin song “Going to California.”
“Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service.’ Yesterday was no different,” she wrote in the caption.
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A post shared by Emma Heming Willis (@emmahemingwillis)
The video seemingly marks the first time Willis has been spotted in public since 2022, after his family announced that the actor had initially been diagnosed with the language disorder aphasia and would be stepping away from acting as a result. In 2023, the Willis family shared that Bruce had received a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, FTD is caused by “a group of disorders that gradually damage the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes. These damages cause changes in thinking and behaviors. Symptoms can include unusual behaviors, emotional problems, trouble communicating, challenges with work, and difficulty with walking.” The condition has no cure.
Since his diagnosis, Heming Willis has served as the actor’s caregiver.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” read a statement released by Willis’ family at the time. “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”
While appearing on NBC’s Today show in 2023, Heming Willis admitted that it was “hard to know” whether the actor understood his diagnosis.
“It’s hard on the person diagnosed, it’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls. When they say this is a family disease, it really is,” she said at the time. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
