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Razzies rescind Bruce Willis’ worst performance award following diagnosis

This year’s Razzies, which were handed out Saturday, featured a special “worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie“ category.
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Organizers for The Razzies, which celebrate the year's worst achievements in film, have rescinded the satirical award they had created poking fun at Bruce Willis following news of his aphasia diagnosis.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," co-founders John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy said in a statement, which was first reported by IndieWire.

In their statement, they also said they are taking back their nomination of Shelley Duvall for her performance in “The Shining,” who was nominated 42 years ago.

"We have since discovered that Duvall’s performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her throughout the production," the statement read, referring to articles last year revealing what it was like on set for the actor.

In a rare interview with The Hollywood Reporter last year, Duvall elaborated on her traumatic experience shooting the film with Kubrick. She said she was so exhausted on set that she started losing hair, and would cry every day. When asked if Kubrick was unusually cruel or abusive to her during the filming, she said, “He’s got that streak in him.”

This year’s Razzies, which were handed out Saturday, featured a special “worst performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie“ category. He won for “Cosmic Sin,” one of eight films he was in last year. In their nomination announcement, the Razzies said 2021 featured “more Bruce Willis than any starving viewer could stomach.” They noted that the “Razzie Regular ... bagged him a category all to himself.”

Willis is “stepping away” from his career after being diagnosed, his family said on Wednesday. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Rumer Willis, the eldest daughter of Demi Moore and Willis, shared that her father’s diagnosis “is impacting his cognitive abilities.”

“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," she wrote in the post, which was also signed by other members of the family: Emma, Demi, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn. Demi Moore also shared a post on Instagram.

Aphasia “is a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

The Razzies decision comes after the satirical awards organization generated criticism for a March 30 tweet in which they offered their "best wishes" to Willis and his family and wrote, "Perhaps this explains why he wanted to go out with a bang in 2021."

In a follow-up tweet, the Razzies wrote: "To clarify, we heard about Willis’ diagnosis at the same time everyone else did...just this morning."

In response to the news, some tweeted their support, saying it was the right decision for the Razzies to make.

Others were less impressed.

"Honestly this is too little, too late," one user wrote.

"While they’re at it, they should rescind the Razzies," wrote another.