Oprah and Bruce Willis' Wife Emma on Finding Strength, Hope & Yourself in Caregiving

The Oprah Podcast

Harpo

Society & Culture

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Emma Heming Willis is a former model and now entrepreneur and author who joins The Oprah Podcast to discuss her new book “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Hope and Purpose on the Caregiving Path.” It’s the book Emma says she wishes she had when she and her husband, legendary actor Bruce Willis, faced his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. Emma shares with Oprah why “The Unexpected Journey” is a guide to navigating the complicated, heartbreaking, and transformative experience that is caregiving. When Bruce Willis was diagnosed in 2022, the couple was given a pamphlet and told to check back in a few months. With no hope or direction, Emma walked out of the doctor’s office frozen with fear, confusion and a sense that her world had just fallen apart. How would she care for her husband while parenting their young daughters and protecting her family’s privacy? Emma interviewed the world’s top dementia and caregiving experts to share their expertise in the book. Oprah and Emma are also joined by two women who have been through the caregiving process – they share their challenges and learnings. Buy the book! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768943/the-unexpected-journey-by-emma-heming-willis/ The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path: Heming Willis, Emma: 9780593833940: Amazon.com: Books https://maketimewellness.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorTxnB-LpkrVXckskht9lBXlfgm8nt1vRjSCqJaQlCbuS4mco1Q Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@Oprah?sub_confirmation=1 Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/oprah/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, and thank you. Thanks for joining me on this Oprah podcast. It's wonderful having you here
0:05.6	where we're talking about things that I believe matter in the world. And it is my hope that
0:10.7	the conversations that we're having are impactful for your life. That's why I'm doing it.
0:18.1	Listen to this. It is estimated that 40 million people in the United States alone are
0:24.3	caregiving for a family member. And that number is on the rise. So chances are that most of you
0:32.2	watching or listening will one day be faced with caring for a spouse if you're not already, or caring for
0:40.1	an elderly parent if you're not already, or a child. We know from research that caregiving
0:46.1	can have significant emotional, physical, and financial impacts on those who are taking on
0:52.8	that huge responsibility. And I'm joined by someone who knows this
0:57.6	all too well. Her new book, The Unexpected Journey, chronicles her story of caring for her husband,
1:04.7	actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023. Welcome Emma Heming-Willis to the Tea House.
1:13.8	Thank you for having me.
1:15.3	My name is Emma Heming-Willis, and my husband, Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal
1:21.5	dementia in the fall of 2022.
1:24.3	In 2023, Emma Heming-Willis and her family released a statement announcing her husband,
1:30.6	one of America's favorite action heroes and adored Hollywood movie star Bruce Willis,
1:35.5	was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia or FTT.
1:40.3	FTT is a very difficult and unkind diagnosis.
1:51.0	Doctors say FTD is a rare type of dementia that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and can slowly change a person's cognitive abilities, their behavior, or their ability to speak.
1:57.0	The Willis family statement read,
1:59.0	challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease, Bruce faces.
2:04.5	Our family is in a unique position to raise awareness,
	...

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