The Razzie Awards have apologised for nominating Bruce Willis – and have immediately been slammed for their ‘disrespectful’ statement.
The Die Hard actor’s family announced he will ‘step away’ from acting which is when a person has difficulty with their language or speech and is usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain.
Willis, 67, was nominated and won in a Razzies category made especially for him, ‘worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie’.
The category only contained one nomination- his performance in Cosmic Sin.
The awards show has since tweeted: ‘The Razzies are truly sorry for #BruceWillis diagnosed condition. Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021. Our best wishes to Bruce and family.’
They added: ‘To clarify, we heard about Willis’ diagnosis at the same time everyone else did…just this morning.’
The Razzies added to IndieWire: ‘We are still discussing how to handle the news about Willis’ diagnosis and will get back to you.’
Their spokesperson clarified that Razzie organisers were unaware of Willis’ condition at the time of the nominations and the Saturday awards.
Actor Vincent D’Onofrio replied to the Twitter statement writing: This is very disrespectful. With respect I hope one day you learn and better yourself.’
One follower responded: ‘Who thought it was ok to tweet this? This is insane,’ while another said: ‘See, the decent thing to do was RIGHT THERE and you still typed that second sentence.’
Others have suggested that the ‘mean-spirited’ awards show is now outdated, with one writing: ‘Do we even need The Razzies anymore? Have we EVER needed them? Maybe it’s time that THEY went out with a bang.’
The Golden Raspberry Awards – better known as the Razzies – is a parody awards show that takes place the day after the Oscars each year.
It aims to (dis)honour the worst cinematic performances each year.
Willis’ daughter Rumer announced the news of his illness on Wednesday, writing on Instagram: ‘To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.
‘As a result of this and with much consideration that has meant so much to him.’
She added that it had been ‘a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support’.
What is aphasia?
Aphasia is a condition that impacts a person’s language skills.
This means it can cause trouble with:
- reading
- writing
- listening
- speaking
According to the , it usually starts due to damage to the left side of the brain after something like, for example, a serious head injury or a stroke.
Perhaps most noticeably, people who have aphasia might have problems speaking, such as by possibly mistakenly using certain words, using the wrong sounds, or using words in the wrong order.
It does not impact a person’s intelligence, but it can emerge both by itself or alongside other health issues like mobility problems and issues with memory.
‘We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him, the 33-year-old continued.
‘As Bruce always says, “Live it up” and together we plan to do just that.’
The post was signed ‘Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn’, referencing his wife, model Emma Heming; ex-wife ; children with Demi, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah; and his daughters Mabel, nine, and seven-year-old Evelyn with Emma.
The 67-year-old has enjoyed a long Hollywood career of blockbusters, and is known best for appearing as as well as in 1998’s Armageddon.
He also appeared in 1994 Quentin Tarantino classic Pulp Fiction , as well as the well-received thriller The Sixth Sense.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the Razzies for further comment.
