Bruce Willis’ Wife Drops Surprise Opinion In ‘Die Hard’ Christmas Controversy

The query of whether or not “Die Hard” is a Christmas film has turn into certainly one of Hollywood’s most persistent vacation debates, resurfacing each December as followers dissect the movie’s festive setting, seasonal soundtrack, and Christmas Eve storyline. The 1988 motion basic, starring Bruce Willis as NYPD officer John McClane, has remained a cultural touchpoint for almost 4 many years, sparking limitless on-line debates, memes, and suppose items. Now, heading into the 2025 vacation season, the long-running dialogue is louder than ever, and a brand new voice has jumped into the dialog, and it is somebody contained in the Willis household.

Whereas talking about her household’s vacation traditions on the Finish Effectively 2025 convention, Emma Heming Willis weighed in on the discourse that followers by no means appear to tire of. She informed PEOPLE, “I feel it’s vital to place ‘Die Laborious’ on as a result of it’s a Christmas film.” The comment instantly made waves, not simply due to the controversy itself, however as a result of Bruce Willis publicly took the alternative stance again in 2018 throughout his Comedy Central roast, declaring, “‘Die Laborious’ will not be a Christmas film! It’s a goddamn Bruce Willis film.”

In the meantime, Bruce’s older daughters have by no means been shy about selecting a facet. In 2023, Rumer Willis kicked off the dialog once more when she shared a video to her Instagram Tales that includes her sisters Scout and Tallulah becoming a member of in. “I’ve collected all three Willis women,” Rumer mentioned whereas filming the trio within the automobile. With out hesitation, Scout jumped in: “It’s a f-cking Christmas film. It takes place throughout Christmas.” Rumer rapidly agreed, including, “It’s a Christmas film.”

However that is not the primary time the Willis household talked about “Die Laborious.” Again in 2020, Rumer Willis shared a touching childhood reminiscence from the set of certainly one of her father’s “Die Laborious” movies. The picture, posted to Instagram, confirmed a younger Rumer gently touching noses together with her dad as he stood in full John McClane mode, full with cuts and scrapes from the long-lasting motion position.

“Going by way of outdated photographs and located this gem as we speak….John McClane Without end,” she captioned the publish, a candy reminder of how intertwined the movie is with their household historical past.

A part of what retains the discourse alive is “Die Laborious”’s unmistakable vacation framing. The film opens with John McClane arriving at LAX on Christmas Eve with a present in hand, heading straight to his estranged spouse’s firm Christmas celebration. All through the movie, basic seasonal songs like “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow,” “Christmas in Hollis,” and “Ode to Pleasure” set the soundtrack.

Nonetheless, regardless of the festive backdrop, viewers stay deeply cut up, and even Bruce Willis himself as soon as shot down the Christmas-movie label. With Emma now claiming the alternative, the conflict has turn into a brand new Willis household vacation subplot.

Past the movie debate, Emma additionally mentioned the fact of navigating the vacation season whereas caring for Bruce amid his frontotemporal dementia prognosis. She described their celebrations as joyful however completely different, noting that they’ve tailored traditions to suit this chapter of their lives. “Bruce liked Christmas and we love celebrating it with him,” she informed the outlet. “It simply appears to be like completely different, so we’ve sort of tailored to that.”

Emma and Bruce, married since 2009, share two daughters, Mabel and Evelyn. Bruce can be father to Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore.

Bruce Willis’ household first revealed in 2022 that the actor had been identified with aphasia, a situation that impacts an individual’s means to speak. The announcement defined why the “Die Laborious” star stepped away from performing, as aphasia can impair speech, language processing, and comprehension.

By February 2023, Willis’ family members shared a harder replace. His situation had progressed into frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a degenerative mind illness that impacts habits, communication, and cognitive operate. The prognosis defined the fast modifications the household had witnessed and marked a brand new chapter in his care, one which his spouse and his kids have navigated along with openness and power.