Bruce Willis' 'Language Skills Are No Longer Available To Him' Due To Dementia Diagnosis

In a recent interview, "Moonlighting" director Glenn Gordon Caron shared that Bruce Willis' communication skills have significantly declined due to his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

Meanwhile, Emma Heming Willis, Bruce's wife, has openly discussed the challenges of dealing with his dementia, emphasizing its impact on the family and expressing her mixed feelings about receiving an official diagnosis.

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Glenn Gordon Caron shared updates about his close friend, Bruce Willis. He revealed that the actor's communication skills have significantly declined due to his battle with dementia. 

Willis was officially diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in early 2023, a year after announcing his retirement due to aphasia.

During the chat, the "Moonlighting" creator shared that he has "tried very hard" to be present for Willis by making regular visits to the actor and maintaining a "casual relationship with his three older children."

He continued: "The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you've ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and … just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest."

He added, "When you're with him you know that he's Bruce and you're grateful that he's there, but the joie de vivre is gone."

Caron further shared insights into the "Die Hard" actor's condition, stating that it's like Willis is "seeing life through a screen door." Recalling his visits, Caron said he observed that Willis recognized him in the first few minutes, but his verbal abilities have declined significantly.

“He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce,” said Caron.

Although Willis has lost his language skills, Caron explained that he was able to communicate with him before his condition worsened, informing him that their show, "Moonlighting," would be available on Hulu.

"The process [to get 'Moonlighting' onto Hulu] has taken quite a while," he explained. "I know he's really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can't tell me that. When I got to spend time with him we talked about it and I know he's excited." 

"I know it means a lot to him," he added.

In a chat with "Today" co-anchor Hoda Kotb, Emma Heming Willis, who shares two daughters with Bruce Willis, opened up about the challenges of dealing with her husband's dementia.

She mentioned it is "hard to know" whether Willis is aware of his condition, emphasizing that dementia affects not only the diagnosed individual but also the entire family. "When they say this is a family disease, it really is," she explained.

The 45-year-old went on to describe herself as Willis's "care partner" and expressed that finally receiving an official diagnosis was both a "blessing and a curse." 

"To finally understand what was happening, so that I could be into the acceptance of what is," she said. "It doesn't make it any less painful, but just being … in the know of what is happening to Bruce makes it a little easier."

To mark the World FTD Awareness Week, which concluded last week, Emma conducted a series of interviews shared on her YouTube channel. In an Instagram video following the official week, the model expressed her commitment to continuing the awareness efforts, stating: "Our work does not stop there. I feel like I'm just scratching the surface."

She emphasized her desire to see a cure or treatment for the disease, adding, "I have so many whys, as to why I raise awareness, but really, at the end of the day, what I would love to see is a cure, a treatment for this disease. And if we don't raise our voices, they're just going to run right past us."

In another video within the same post, Heming addressed the issue of FTD often being overshadowed in discussions about dementia. "When doctors or media talk about dementia, they'll say 'Alzheimer's and other dementias," she explained. "So FTD is the other dementia, and let me tell you something about that disease: it is real, it is out there, and it will bring you to your knees."