Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, is ringing in the holidays with a definitive stance on the enduring pop culture debate: Die Hard is, in fact, a Christmas movie. The model and entrepreneur told PEOPLE that the 1988 action classic, starring her husband as the reluctant hero John McClane, is a mandatory Yuletide tradition for the Willis family. “I think it’s important to put Die Hard on because it’s a Christmas movie,” she quipped, cementing her place in one of the internet’s most passionately argued festive arguments.
Her verdict runs counter to the film’s star, Bruce Willis, who famously declared during his Comedy Central roast that “Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis movie!” However, Emma says her husband, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, has no issue with her selection. “Bruce loved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him,” she told the outlet.
The family is navigating a holiday season that “looks different” as Bruce lives with FTD, which progressed from his initial aphasia diagnosis in 2022. Despite the challenges, Emma emphasized the presence of “still joy.” She advises other families facing similar circumstances to “learn and adapt and make new memories, bring in the same traditions that you had before.” She added, “Life goes on. It just goes on. Dementia is hard, but there is still joy in it. I think it’s important that we don’t paint such a negative picture around dementia.”
Emma, who married Bruce in 2009 and shares daughters Mabel and Evelyn with him—he is also dad to Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore—has become a vocal advocate for FTD awareness. In September, she published her book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, a guide for caregivers navigating a loved one’s dementia diagnosis.
During the ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey over the summer, Emma offered a poignant look into their lives, noting that while Bruce’s brain is “failing him,” she still catches “moments” of his joyous personality. “It’s his laugh, right? Like, he has such a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported,” she shared, expressing her gratitude that her husband is “still very much here.”