Demi Moore recently spoke about her ex-husband Bruce Willis and supported his wife, Emma Heming, for the way she’s been handling his dementia care. Emma faced backlash after revealing that she no longer lives with Bruce and has arranged a separate home for him with all his medical needs. Many called her move inappropriate and selfish, accusing her of being “ignorant”. But now Demi, who was married to Bruce from 1987 to 2000, has stepped in to defend Emma while sharing her thoughts on The Oprah Podcast.
Demi Moore defends Emma Heming
Bruce, 70, was first diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, which later progressed into frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. He subsequently retired from acting. Since then, Emma, who married Bruce in 2009, has been managing his medical care and finances while also raising their two young daughters, Mabel (13) and Evelyn (11). Demi, on the other hand, also shares three daughters with Bruce: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. The Hollywood star appeared on the Oprah Winfrey podcast, days before Emma came on the same show to promote her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path.
During the conversation, Demi said she has “so much compassion” for Emma, praising her role as both admirable and brave. “There is no road map for how to deal with this,” she said, adding, “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 recognising 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.”
Calling her role as Bruce’s “ex-wife” an unusual spot, Demi got emotional while speaking of Emma, asking viewers to imagine what it feels like to not know what’s coming in life at such a young age. She said Emma has done a “masterful job” balancing Bruce’s care while still making sure she looks after herself. “I think this book is gonna be really helpful for a lot of people who are walking through this.”
Elsewhere during the interview, Demi admitted it’s been “difficult” for her to watch Bruce’s health decline over the years. “It’s hard to see somebody who was so, you know, vibrant and strong and so directed shift into this other parts of themselves,” Demi said. She explained that instead of stressing on to who he used to be, she’s learned the importance of meeting him “where he’s at” now. The Substance star said she believes in not comparing the the past and just staying present, “you can still find moments of sweetness and tenderness.”
Story continues below this ad
Recently, Emma revealed in an interview with Diane Sawyer that Bruce now lives in a separate nearby residence with full-time care. She admitted it was one of the hardest choices she’s had to make, but said Bruce would have wanted the same for their daughters. While some people online criticised Emma for the decision, she defended herself, saying that caregivers are often judged unfairly by those who don’t understand, slamming opinions as “loud” and “noisy.”
