Last week a lot of people were wondering why Bruce Willis was quarantining with his ex wife, Demi Moore, and their adult daughters in Idaho rather than in LA with his wife, Emma Heming, and their daughters, aged eight and five. Emma was commenting on Bruce and Demi’s cutesy social media photos that she missed them. Plus she’s made posts for Bruce’s birthday and their anniversary while they’re apart. A source told People that everything was fine in Emma and Bruce’s marriage, that Emma gets along with Demi and they’re a great blended family, and that Emma and the girls had to stay in LA. It seemed suspicious, and many of you wondered whether Emma and Bruce were separated and just covering it up. In fact we talked about it on our podcast this week. I mentioned that several of you commented that Bruce and Demi are in a virus hotspot near Sun Valley that has been under special lockdown. In a new statement to Entertainment Tonight, a source close to Bruce confirmed that and clarified the situation that he and Demi are in.
A source tells ET that Willis kind of got stuck in Idaho amid the… outbreak.
“He has a house directly across the street from Demi’s house in Sun Valley. It’s been for sale for years. He was visiting and his family was considering quarantining there. He got stuck because Sun Valley became one of the… hotspots,” the source explains.
As for Heming, she was OK with Willis staying in Idaho as she prefers sunny L.A. “He’s very much with Emma,” the source adds.
A second source tells ET that Willis is in touch with Heming and their daughters — Mabel, 8, and Evelyn, 5 — “daily,” and that them being apart isn’t “weird to them.”
“Bruce and Demi made a decision to quarantine together with their children and have been doing so for over a month. The family didn’t want to take any risks of outside influences so they’ve stayed away from socializing with anyone but their family. Bruce isn’t with his wife or young children, but that was understood going into this,” the source shares. “Bruce, Demi and Emma have always had a great relationship and are good friends and none of this is weird to them. It’s outside people who are making it more than it is.”
Moore and Willis divorced in 2000, after 13 years of marriage. While they’ve been close friends for years, a third source tells ET they “never thought they would be forced at this age to stay in one home together 24/7.”
That doesn’t mean the former couple aren’t enjoying their time together, however. “It’s become a slumber party and they have settled in perfectly,” the source says, repeating, “Emma loves Bruce and is fine with him staying with his older children and Demi during this time.”
I searched on Bruce’s Sun Valley properties and he was said to have sold his estate in 2018, which is, of course amazing. It’s got a waterfall, guest house with a separate gym and is an entire compound on 20 acres. I bet that the sale didn’t go through though and that’s what the article is referring to. Here’s a google maps view of Demi Moore’s house in that area. I couldn’t verify where he lives now but apparently Bruce bought a ton of property and some businesses in the small town of Hailey, Idaho in the late 90s. He helped revive the town but also pissed off some of the locals.
After I wrote all this we also got a tip from someone who listened to a recovery podcast called The Dopey Podcast. Scout Willis was a guest on the most recent episode and she said her sister, Bruce’s youngest daughter, played with a hypodermic needle at a park and that’s why his wife Emma couldn’t come with their two daughters. This is what Scout said and it’s at 1:11 into this episode:
So my step mom was going to come up here too with my little sisters but actually my younger sister, who is now 7, at a park had never gotten the talk about not f’ing with hypodermic needles that she found so she actually tried to poke her shoe with it and poked her foot. So my stepmom had to be in LA waiting to get the results from taking her to the doctor. So my dad came up here early and travel got crazy so my stepmom stayed in LA with my little sisters. It’s been really funny having both my parents at the house where they raised us. Which has been really cute. They both were just such nerdy adorable 90s parents in the small town where they chose to have their kids and not be in LA.
She also said everyone in her family is sober now, which is nice. This story puts perspective on it and I understand why Bruce and Emma didn’t disclose that to the public. Scout just told us about it so it’s out there now.
As for Bruce and Demi’s quarantine, I wonder what their plans are moving forward. It seems like even mega rich people can’t travel at this time, which is good but surprises me. I thought they could still get private planes because there are still a small number of planes flying.
This is such a weird story all around. You can still fly!! I flew from Jersey to Texas two weeks ago (family emergency, not a fun trip). Will probably be heading back home in a week or so and there are several options to fly back. Definitely fewer but it isn’t NO flights.
I get why they weren’t together in the beginning but I still think it’s weird they aren’t reuniting now.
Right? The publicist’s repeated “it’s not weird!” just sort of highlights the fact that it IS. Especially the line about how is 8 and 5 year old don’t find it unusual! Does he not take them with him when he’s filming? Because almost all kids that young would absolutely be weirded out by their live in father being gone this much. Unless he’s not around all that much to begin with.
Bruce doesn’t want to accidentally bring it to Emma and the girls and vice versa. They could easily pick it up at the airport or from an asymptotic carrier on the plane. Not being able to be together probably sucks, but not enough to risk people getting sick.
Yes, but being apart from his young kids would ABSOLUTELY be weird for him and them (unless he’s normally not around much anyway). That’s my point. I understand why he’s staying away, it’s just strange for his publicist to go out of the way to repeatedly say how not-weird it is. It would be expected to say something like, “yes, it’s hard on everyone to be apart, but we’ve got to think about safety first.” Not “his young children don’t miss him at all.”
But he COULD fly, quarantine in another house for 2 weeks (which could be set up by his agent and assistant) and then go home. Normally I would be all for him staying put, but his wife is dealing with two children under 10 all by herself. He is their father, he should be with his minor children.
I’m probably being naive. His wife probably has several live-in nannies and maids to help her. If so, then I guess Bruce should stay in Idaho. It all points to him not really being in his young children’s lives, though.
@Anna bruce is an actor. i’m sure his family is used to him being away for long stretches when he’s working on a movie or promoting one.
You CAN fly. But I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to. The private planes are actually really busy right now, and they”re not completely disinfecting between flights because it’s hard to do that quickly.
Personally I wouldn’t do it. I haven’t seen my family since december, Was supposed to go there for Eastern, but my mum told me, before the lockdown “DON’T YOU DARE” + death stare I think it’s safer to stay were you are, and you don’t risk to put other people in danger, it’s a matter of responsability.
We’re not talking about adults with their own households missing extended family, as difficult as that can be, we’re talking about a father separated from his children who are just 8 and 5. And he has already missed the oldest’s 8th birthday, and the youngest looks like she will turn six in just a couple weeks. If he was separated from his ADULT daughters during quarantine, I’d think nothing of it, and say he was being responsible. The other way around? Not so much.
Isn’t it more responsible to stay away from his young children – who would be considered high risk to catch it – if he comes in contact with someone on the way home who has it?
I’m fully Team Bruce Staying Put on this one.
65-year-old Bruce Willis is at much, MUCH higher risk from the virus, than his 8 and 5 year olds, or his 41-year-old wife.
I get what they were going for, but that backlit photos creeps me out for some reason.
I really don’t think this is that big of a deal. If Emma and the kids come up now, they would have to quarantine for two weeks anyway. Might as well be in LA. I wish I was!
I think the matching PJ photo is creepy.
After a month alone with my SO and our pets, seeing that many people crowded together makes me really uncomfortable. I guess it’s fine since they’re isolated together but I can’t imagine ever again feeling normal being breathed on by numerous people.
The house is big enough to be able to get away from each other. Also all plenty of land so they can go outside if necessary. I own a 4 bedroom ranch, maybe 1500 square feet, on 1/2 acre. My daughter and her family moved in with me last summer – 7 all together. It’s difficult at times because we don’t have the room to separate. I go outside when I need to decompress.
I get that about the house/property. It’s specifically the pics of them all huddled together that are all “eww.”
Gotcha.
I swear the pets have multiplied (they haven’t). But instead of two cats and a medium sized dog it FEELS like we have about 10 cats and 5 dogs lol.
OMG, I feel the same way. I looked at one of the dogs the other day and said to my husband “when did we get that one?” We’ve had her for 2 years. Oops. I also feel like my spawn have multiplied… because we took in girlspawn’s boyfriend and a friend of hers from school whose parents are stuck in Spain as well as a friend of boyspawn’s whose parents live in London. So we’re now a household of 7 adults, 3 dogs, and a cat.
Rock on, paranormalgirl. Your situation sounds cool.
I understand why Emma and the younger girls can’t travel, but I still don’t really get why Bruce can’t return to L.A. But, whatever. It’s not really any of my business. As long as they are fine with the arrangement, it doesn’t really matter what others think.
It makes no sense that he hasn’t driven back to LA. Neither the ‘source’s’ story nor the explanation by the older Willis child explains that. Bruce is still choosing to quarantine with his ex and his older children as opposed to his wife and young daughters.
I mean, for 100% protection, yes, he could quarantine upon return to L.A., but, being reasonable, a private flight, which is definitely what he would take (Willis isn’t flying coach with three stops), or even a drive shared with one of those people he’s already in Idaho with (raise your hand if you don’t think they have assistants and housekeepers on site to take care of their next door 10,000 sq. ft. houses), wouldn’t be much more of a risk than the average grocery store trip—and no one is quarantining from their family for 14 days after each of those. If they took basic precautions in transit, and had all been clear for 14 days on both ends. I mean, unless someone is high risk or immunocompromised for reasons we don’t know, reuniting is not that big of a risk, health and safety-wise, and one most would take to be with their wife and young children after a month apart. Plus, laws against non-essential travel do not legally preclude going home to your family if caught away when rules went into effect.
Something about all the stories and ideas floated just don’t add up, and the needle story is the weirdest addition yet. Not to mention the way Scout tells it, at least as transcribed, sounds pretty bizarre and very blasé about her half-sister.
Can he drive to LA without stopping for gas, food, bathrooms and interacting with people? If he gets into a car crash, is he going to eschew calling for emergency help and interacting with police? If he’s injured, will he forgo seeking treatment at a small town hospital to keep the strain off their medical system?
There is no way he could do a drive like that without interacting with other humans or without the risk of a car crash. He’s 65, high risk age, so he shouldn’t be interacting with people he doesn’t live with. Especially people working at gas stations or fast food stores (road trip necessities) who are interacting with different people all day lomb. He is doing the smart thing by sheltering in place. Everyone should be.
I think it was a wonderful opportunity amidst all the bad stuff, to be near all his grown daughters for an extended period of time.
I agree. I’m in New England and a co-worker said that while his business is going to heck, it’s been wonderful to have the unexpected time with his 3 sons, ranging college age to newly engaged, all self isolating at home for various reasons. He said he never expected to have the time to hang out with them like this, have a few beers, etc.
Thats a fulfilling perspective.
“So my stepmom had to be in LA waiting to get the results from taking her to the doctor. So my dad came up here early and travel got crazy so my stepmom stayed in LA with my little sisters.”
I’m sorry, what? His younger daughter found a hypodermic at a park and was poking her foot with it through her shoe and Willis decided to leave to go to Idaho instead of waiting with his family to get an update on test results for their daughter? I’d have been royally pissed if it turned out I got bad news about my kid’s health that the father didn’t think worth sticking around to wait for. If they were really so sure there would be no findings from test results, then the family could have stayed together.
It’s a weird story made weirder by all the happy family pics. Maybe the marriage has run its course..whatever..but the young children are now indefinitely without their father.
Yeah… it just gets weirder
Do they mean Willis got travel crazy as in he was terrified for his family to travel? Yes, this is one weird story.
Yeah, I’d be pissed if my spouse left us waiting for serious medical results for our child to go hang out with his ex wife and older kids. Somethings fishy there
Or he went ahead to get the house ready and provisioned and then the shelter in place cane down.
Yep. This does t explain why he hasn’t driven back to LA. Plus, OMG, his daughter got stuck by a needle and he is in Idaho? Nope, nope, nope.
Good on them for NOT flying. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should and It’s refreshing to see a celeb NOT taking advantage of their privilege during this time. Everyone seems cool here and I don’t actually find it all that strange in the context of the people involved.
That’s awesome everyone gets along so well, looking back through her Instagram it definitely doesn’t seem like a new thing, but I still think it’s weird he separated from his wife and young children, maybe he has an underlying medical condition we don’t know about? He is getting older, or maybe he just saw an opportunity to spend time with his older girls and his wife prefers Cali, I sure would.
I think they’ve gotten along pretty well ever since they first split up.
If either party traveled, they’d have to spend 14 days isolated again before joining the group, so I’m guessing they’re just deciding to wait it out If he travels a lot for work anyway, they’re probably used to some independence. None of them seem upset about it, just people reading it on the internet, LOL.
You could drive …. not a short trip but not impossible. Then quarantine on arrival and you would be close. But whatever works for them….
that’s not a responsible choice
We are definitely not getting the full story here.
This whole thing is making me think Bruce’s second marriage is not real.
In all this time he could have traveled back, isolated for 2 wks then reunite w his wife & kids. Literally NO reason why this COULDNT happen, other than he’d rather not quarantine w 2 small kids & this just seemed like the more comfortable solution
On the one hand, you’d think they’d lie low with the public social media shots if they were trying to keep a separation quiet. But, on the other, the more stories they tell, the weirder it all seems. Potential medical emergencies are why parents rush back home to be with (or at least near, if he took quarantining himself seriously) young children, not why they stay away from them.
Not to mention how very rarely a publicist runs to People to tell them their client’s marriage is “very much together,” when, you know, it actually is.
I feel like either way all the “happy family” pics are disrespectful. Even if the marriage is fine and there’s a totally logical reason for all this, this must be a scary time for his young children, not helped by those pics. But maybe he Zooms with them for hours every day and everything is cool.
Just adding that it still seems the mega rich with little sense can still fly their private planes. We live near a private airport and though things have slowed tremendously, we still see a few specific ones on semi-regular ones. There could be very valid reasons for them going – maybe they are being lent to hospitals to use for special transports or the like. Or not….
I’m confused by the timeline. Did Mabel pick up a hypodermic needle in a park before Bruce left LA and went to Idaho to quarantine with his older girls and ex-wife? Scout’s interview doesn’t make it clear. Or did he leave before the incident to set up shop for his wife and two young daughters and then the needle incident happened delaying Emma’s arrival with the two young ones?
I think it would be less weird if Emma was there with the two kids. I get quarantining and social distancing but I do think it is weird how Bruce got “stuck” in Idaho. Surely he could have returned to CA, quarantined himself for 2 weeks somewhere, and then joined Emma and his two young daughters? It just seems there was poor planning on everyone’s part.
Tallulah looks unwell in recent photos – she’s so, so skinny. Look at her arm in this photo with Bruce: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_N6bWaDnxd. Maybe she needs his support right now but they aren’t comfortable sharing that so made up a needle story.