Emma Heming Willis opened up about Bruce Willis’ health condition and why the actor lives in a second home amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia.
In the ABC special Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, which aired in August 2025, Heming Willis shared that her husband was “still very mobile,” but his language was heavily affected by the disease.
“We’ve learned to adapt, and we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different way,” she revealed.
Heming Willis also shared that Bruce has a care team that looks after him in the second home, which is located near the house she primarily lives in with their daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.
Willis’ family announced he was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. The following year, they revealed his condition had progressed to frontotemporal dementia, which can “variably cause deterioration in behavior, personality and/or difficulty with producing or comprehending language,” per the Alzheimer’s Association.
Scroll below for more on Heming Willis’ quotes on their living arrangement and caring for Willis at his second home.
Why Emma Heming Willis Made the ‘Hard’ Decision to Get a 2nd Home
In the ABC special, Heming Willis explained that people with frontotemporal dementia can be sensitive to noise. She mentioned that she became paranoid about sleeping, the sounds of doors opening and closing and dangers that the stovetop could present to her husband.
Heming Willis explained that she stopped allowing her kids to have friends over for fear that the noise could possibly cause agitation.
“I didn’t know if parents would feel comfortable leaving their kid at our home,” she explained. “I isolated our whole family, and that was by design … That was a hard time.”
Emma Heming and Bruce Willis Gary Gershoff/WireImage
Eventually, she decided it was best to move Willis into a one-story house with a round-the-clock care team.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” she said of moving Willis into his own home. “But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters. You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
Willis moved into the home “some time ago.”
Emma Heming Willis and Daughters Visit Bruce Willis at 2nd Home
Heming Willis explained that she spends a lot of time at the second house with Mabel and Evelyn. They go over there for meals and make other frequent visits.
“We are there a lot,” she told host Diane Sawyer. “It’s our second home, so the girls have their things there. It is a house that is filled with love and warmth and care and laughter.”
Emma Heming Willis shared a new update about her husband Bruce Willis’ battle with frontotemporal dementia. Heming Willis, 45, discussed the disease on the Monday, September 25, episode of Today in honor of World Frontotemporal Dementia Awareness Week, revealing it’s “hard to know” whether Willis, 68, is aware of his dementia. “What I’m learning is […]
Friends Often Stop by Bruce Willis’ Home
In addition to having his family over regularly, it was mentioned in the ABC special that Willis often has friends over.
“It’s been beautiful to see that, to see how many of Bruce’s friends continue to show up for him and they bring in life and fun,” Heming Willis reflected.
Sawyer said that she visited Willis’ home off camera, bringing a producer with her that the actor “always loved.”
“Since friends can come by, Emma gave me a gift. I went to see Bruce without cameras just to honor all of those memories over all those years,” the journalist said. “As we walked up, he seemed happy and, as Emma said, walking, healthy. We sat on a sofa outside, and at one point, without words, he took my hand. I talked about the old days and saw flashes of that irrepressible smile.”
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