Razzies Rescind Bruce Willis’ Worst Performance Award Following News of Aphasia Diagnosis

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The Razzies have rescinded their award for Bruce Willis following public news of his aphasia diagnosis.

The satirical awards show, which hands out honors to the worst movies of the year, had recently given Willis his own category titled “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie.”

“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,” co-founders John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy said in a statement to IndieWire on Thursday.

“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.”

Before news of Willis’ brain condition, which heavily impairs one’s communication skills, he took home the Razzie for his performance in Cosmic Sin, one of eight movies nominated this year.

The other nominations included his performances in American Siege, Apex, Deadlock, Fortress, Midnight in the Switchgrass, Out of Death, and Survive the Game.

Willis had reportedly displayed signs of cognitive decline on movie sets prior to the news, according to directors, producers, and former co-stars who spoke to the Los Angeles Times.

Directors Mike Burns, who worked with Willis in Out of Death, and Jesse V. Johnson, who helmed White Elephant, both said that the actor’s lines were reduced because he struggled to remember them.

The films mark two of 22 that Willis did in four years.

Willis also allegedly had a hard time understanding why he was even on set to begin with and reportedly misfired a gun while filming Hard Kill with actress Lala Kent, also a star of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules. 

Wilson and Murphy also announced that they had rescinded their nomination of Shelley Duvall for her performance in The Shining.

“As we recently mentioned in a Vulture Interview, extenuating circumstances also apply to Shelley Duvall in The Shining,” they said. “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.”