The organizers of the Razzies parody awards show have rescinded Bruce Willis’s 2021 award in light of the actor’s recently disclosed aphasia diagnosis.
The annual awards, which recognize the worst films and performances, gave Willis his own special category this year: “Worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 movie”.
Willis was also nominated eight times, winning for his lead performance in the sci-fi film Cosmic Sin.
Days after the ceremony, however, Willis’s family announced that the actor was retiring after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects the ability to understand language and communicate.
On Thursday the Razzies decided to revoke Willis’s award, saying it was no longer appropriate.
“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,” said the Razzies co-founders John Wilson and Maureen Murphy in a statement.
They noted that the special category created for Willis “will not be repeated”, as it was never meant to continue.
On Wednesday, several of Willis’s family members posted a joint statement to social media about the actor’s health problems and subsequent diagnosis.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” it said.
But at first the Razzies seemed to joke about the actor’s announcement, as first reported in the Washington Post.
“The Razzies are truly sorry for #BruceWillis diagnosed condition,” tweeted the official Razzie Awards account. “Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021. Our best wishes to Bruce and family.”
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.
— The Razzie® Awards (@RazzieAwards) March 30, 2022
As the tweet attracted criticism and questions about whether the Razzies would revoke Willis’s awards, Wilson and Murphy seemed resistant to the idea.
“Whoever handles Willis’ affairs should probably not have permitted him to do such a high volume of work in such a short time, especially if they were aware of his situation,” said the co-founders to the Wrap. “In Willis’ defense, his reps should have kept a better eye on his legacy.”
The next day, they publicly announced they would revoke Willis’s awards. As of publication time on Friday, the 2021 award and eight nominations were still listed on the Razzies website.
