Bruce Willis: Razzies rescind actor’s Worst Performance award after aphasia diagnosis

The Razzies had been condemned for an ‘abhorrent’ statement tweeted about actor’s diagnosis

The Razzies have decided to rescind Bruce Willis’s Worst Performance award in light of the actor’s recent aphasia diagnosis.

Nominations for this year’s Golden Raspberries – nicknamed the Razzies – which celebrate the worst in the year’s filmmaking were announced in February.

This year, Willis was given his own category titled “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie”, which featured eight films including American Siege, Apex, Cosmic Sin, Midnight In The Switchgrass, and Survive The Game.

His performance in 2021’s Cosmic Sin ultimately earned Willis the “award” when the winners list was released last week.

The winners were revealed ahead of the announcement that Willis is suffering from aphasia, a form of brain damage that affects language expression and comprehension.

On Wednesday (31 March), the Die Hard actor’s family – including his wife Emma, children, and former partner Demi Moore – revealed that he had “recently been diagnosed with aphasia” and that Willis would be retiring from acting.

The Razzies have since announced their decision to revoke the actor’s so-called Worst Performance award, which was deemed “inappropriate” in light of the new details about his medical condition.

The Razzies issued a statement to IndieWire on Thursday (31 March), reading: “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.

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“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 Razzies’ first public comment about Willis’s diagnosis was posted to Twitter on Wednesday (31 March). It read: “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.”

After social media users criticised the “abhorrent” statement, the Razzies responded with a new statement which said: “To clarify, we heard about Willis’ diagnosis at the same time everyone else did... just this morning.”

After Willis’s family announced the actor’s diagnosis, celebrities such as Seth Green and Matthew Marsden paid tribute to the Hollywood “legend” on social media.