Emma Heming Willis is pushing back against criticism over her decision to move husband Bruce Willis into a separate home amid his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
The backlash began after the 47-year-old former model shared details in her recent ABC special with Diane Sawyer, “Emma and Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey,” about why the actor now lives in a nearby home designed specifically for his needs.
Some viewers and social media users questioned why the “Die Hard” star wasn’t living with his family full-time, while others suggested Emma was distancing herself from him.
“The truth is that the opinions are so loud and they’re so noisy,” Emma said in a video shared to Instagram on Friday, Aug. 29. “But if they don’t have the experience of this, they don’t get a say, and they definitely don’t get a vote.”
Emma also addressed the broader reaction to her ABC special, clarifying that the goal of sharing her experience was to shine a light on caregiving and to build understanding.
“I think that they did a beautiful job with amplifying FTD awareness,” she said in the video.
“What I knew was that by sharing some of our intimate information that we would see these two camps,” she added. “It would be people with an opinion versus people with an actual experience.”
“That is what caregivers are up against,” Emma continued. “Judgment from others and criticism from others.”
Bruce’s wife appeared to fire back at critics further in the caption of her video, where she wrote that “too often, caregivers are judged quickly and unfairly by those who haven’t lived this journey or stood on the front lines of it.”
“Sharing openly may invite opinions, but more importantly, it creates connection and validation for those actually navigating the realities of caregiving every day,” Emma noted.
“That’s who I share for and so I can build a deeper connection with a community that understands this journey,” she concluded.
During the ABC special, Emma explained that the decision to move Bruce into a separate home was made “some time ago” to provide the actor a safer environment while allowing his care team to provide round-the-clock support.
Although the decision was made for the “Pulp Fiction” star’s benefit, Emma admitted that it broke her heart.
“It was one of the hardest decisions that I’ve had to make so far,” she told Sawyer while fighting back tears.
“But I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters,” she added. “You know, he would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs.”
However, Emma also said that she often visits her husband with their two young daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, whom they welcomed after getting married in 2009.
“We’re there a lot,” she said. “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 added.
