The Razzies Takes Back Bruce Willis Award After Aphasia Condition Announcement

The Razzies is an award show that recognizes the worst cinema of the year. But it was recently announced that the prize for Bruce Willis was rescinded after the actor’s family revealed his struggle with aphasia, a cognitive medical condition. A statement from the Razzies reads, “After much thought and consideration, the Razzies have made the decision to rescind the Razzie Award given to Bruce Willis, due to his recently disclosed diagnosis. If someone’s medical condition is a factor in their decision making and/or their performance, we acknowledge that it is not appropriate to give them a Razzie.”

The Willis family, including his former wife Demi Moore, also released a joint statement that the actor is taking a break from acting due to his condition. Part of it reads, “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support.” Willis’ former nomination was influenced for eight of his performances this past year in a category involving his name, “Worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie.” His winning role was decided upon by the group for his work in Cosmic Sin.

Razzie founders John J.B. Wilson and Maureen Murphy said in a Vulture interview that they regretted the nomination, in tandem with rescinding a decades-old nomination for Shelley Duvall in The Shining. Thursday’s statement added, “As we recently mentioned in a Vulture Interview, extenuating circumstances also apply to Shelley Duvall in The Shining. We have since discovered that Duvall’s performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her throughout the production. We would like to take this opportunity to rescind that nomination as well.”

Some tweets by the organization seemed to pursue a lighter approach to its response before backtracking in its clarification, seen below.

Abby Masucol: I'm a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign double majoring in English with a concentration in Media Cultures and Creative Writing. I strongly advocate for women's voices in the media and I am constantly pushing for more Asian-American representation onscreen. I'm a proud member of the Filipino-American community and participate in numerous cultural and social activities in my college's Filipino organization. I also enjoy watching movies with my parents, journaling about life and the world, and skating with my friends on campus.
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