Emma Heming Willis blasted outlets for ‘scaring people’ about neurocognitive diseases
Bruce Willis diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
Behavioral neurologist Dr. Bruce Miller discusses actor Bruce Willis' diagnosis and explains the accompanying symptoms.
Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, is done with people misunderstanding the actor’s dementia diagnosis.
On Sunday, she took to Instagram and shared a video exploring her frustration with "clickbaity" headlines.
"It’s Sunday morning and I’m triggered. I just got clickbaited. I’m just scrolling minding my own business and just saw a headline and got clickbaited that had to do with my own family," she began.
"The headline basically says there is no more joy in my husband," she continued.
Emma Heming Willis took to her social media to blast "clickbaity" headlines about their lives following his dementia diagnosis. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Film at Lincoln Center)
"Now, I can just tell you that is far from the truth. I need society and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines to stop scaring people. Stop scaring people to think that once they get a diagnosis of some kind of neurocognitive disease that that’s it, it’s over. Let’s pack it up, nothing else to see here. We’re done."
As Heming Willis put it, "No. It is the complete opposite of that, okay? 100%. There is grief and sadness, there’s all of that. But you start a new chapter. And that chapter is filled. Let me just tell you what it is, it’s filled with love, it’s filled with connection. It’s filled with joy, it’s filled with happiness. That’s where we are."
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Heming Willis has been married to the "Die Hard" star since 2009, and the couple share two daughters. She is also step-mom to Willis’ daughters, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, with ex-wife, Demi Moore.
In March 2022, Willis stepped away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia that progressed to frontotemporal dementia.
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In the caption of her post, Heming Willis continued calling out people for spreading misinformation about dementia and other neurological issues.
"Here’s what I’ve come to understand is that we are being educated by the wrong people. People that have an opinion versus an experience. People that have not taken the time to properly educate themselves on any kind of neurocognitive disease. Why can I be so bold and say that? Because I see headline after headline and blurbs of misinformation," she wrote in part.
The couple have been married since 2009, and share two daughters together. (Larry Busacca/VF14/WireImage/Getty Images)
"I’m not even talking about my family, I’m used to the craziness of these farfetched headlines and stories. I’m just talking about baseline dementia awareness and what’s being fed to the public," she continued. "You wonder why anxiety and depression is up in our society. I honestly think part of it has to do with this kind of clickbait, how things are framed and pushed out to us and how we have a split second to take that information in. Man, it’ll do a number on my psyche."
The 45-year-old concluded her post, "To whom it may concern, please be mindful how you frame your story’s to the public about dementia and dig deeper. There are so many wonderful organizations and specialist within this space to reach out to so you can really do your due diligence to iron your story and content out. Thank you."
In her post, Heming Willis said some of the "clickbait" not just about her family but dementia in general, can "do a number on my psyche." (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Earlier this year, Heming Willis announced she will be releasing a book in 2025 about her experiences as a caregiver to her husband and offer advice and interviews.
"For me, knowledge is power, and building a supportive community around me has been vital," Heming Willis previously said in a statement. "It has brought stability and a certain amount of control back, control that was completely shattered when the diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia first came into our family’s world."
Earlier this year, Heming Willis announced she'd be releasing a book in 2025 about her experiences as a caregiver for her husband. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
She continued, "Identifying the right resources to educate and enlighten myself has been powerful and has allowed me the space to continue to move forward in the most positive way so that I can be the best mother, wife, daughter, friend and care partner. I want to be able to share that with the next person who finds themselves here."
