Tallulah Willis, 30, is the daughter of famed actor Bruce Willis. Despite being young, she has experienced a profound transformation. A pivotal incident at 11 and other challenges once marred her life. In 2023, she told the story of overcoming and growth. A visual journey of her before and after pictures reveals the depth of her evolution.
![Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/4e165de236f22ec200e4e16e259089e4f486786d0120883df53309154757ff10.png)
Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski
On March 15, 2024, Tallulah Willis revealed she was autistic. She posted a video of herself and her dad on Instagram. The video was from April 7, 2004. They had attended the premiere of “The Whole Ten Yards.” In the caption of her post, she wrote:
“tell me your autistic without telling me you[‘re] autistic 😂.”
![Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/6cca18d49e47df6741e75260237478a5e2f3a133e84d6c4364a65a684f653c9f.png)
Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski
In the comments, a psychologist asked if Tallulah was diagnosed as a child. The person told her she was brave and inspiring for sharing her diagnosis and that her video was sweet. Tallulah responded, “@mfizzle98 actually this is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis. Found out this summer and it’s changed my life. ☀️”
![Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/3a72d85bcf48350dd49780bcbbcca23071361071abab855debc4f8b2c44151d2.png)
Bruce and Tallulah Willis | Source: Instagram/buuski
![Bruce, Tallulah Willis, and her sibling | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/67cb0ebf027fcbbc9933c85903f1283e04d287e7cae9e72c33f92954c62ac713.png)
Bruce, Tallulah Willis, and her sibling | Source: Instagram/buuski
Tallulah grew up with famous parents and learned about the side effects of fame early. At 11, something happened that changed her world. At the time, she had flown to New York with her mother. While alone in the guestroom of their apartment, she stumbled on something.
Tallulah had just attended an event with Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. Ashton was her mother’s partner then. For the event, Tallulah recalled that she was pleased with her outfit which made her feel grown-up. Naturally, she wanted to see the outcome of the night.
![Tallulah Willis at the Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Bruce Willis Foundation Present Playstation BANDtogether in Culver City, California, on May 5, 2011. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/d978c059c3f04fc5ff84358447f0260482465520a0a082a7325de91b5f41a7a6.jpg)
Tallulah Willis at the Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Bruce Willis Foundation Present Playstation BANDtogether in Culver City, California, on May 5, 2011. | Source: Getty Images
![Rumer, Scout, Bruce, and Tallulah Willis with Tony Hawk at the Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Bruce Willis Foundation Present Playstation BANDtogether in Culver City, California, on May 5, 2011. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/2ddb6ca39b6966aabc648a37d6be5af6dfd15e468fc06ac082a531ca5c522901.jpg)
Rumer, Scout, Bruce, and Tallulah Willis with Tony Hawk at the Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Bruce Willis Foundation Present Playstation BANDtogether in Culver City, California, on May 5, 2011. | Source: Getty Images
Tallulah wanted to find out if her look had made the party pages of any of the style websites. Sure enough, she was posted on a site, but what she discovered later was heartbreaking. People’s views about her filled the comments section.
![Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis at the Los Angeles premiere of "Lords of Dogtown" on May 24, 2005. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/28a12d88d095da475c1aa18afdfcf5a18712afeda7cc5d003971bc98a860664f.jpg)
Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis at the Los Angeles premiere of “Lords of Dogtown” on May 24, 2005. | Source: Getty Images
She said people wrote that she was deformed and called her the “ugly version of her dad.” They commented that she had jaws like a man’s, and they felt her mother would be disappointed with her. Tallulah spent two hours reading the comments.
![Demi Moore, Bruce, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis with Ashton Kutcher on June 18, 2003. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/18965a8ed7da6c57ee9f39aaf646f8311251185505008c10a69583057b8665df.jpg)
Demi Moore, Bruce, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis with Ashton Kutcher on June 18, 2003. | Source: Getty Images
![Tallulah Willis at the Nylon Magazine May young Hollywood issue party on May 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/537e13cfe266d8006eec20985e0e5ca693e5608aa3ecf3d9691596fbd0b600d7.jpg)
Tallulah Willis at the Nylon Magazine May young Hollywood issue party on May 8, 2014 in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
![Bruce Willis and Tallulah Willis on his 60th birthday on March 21, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/10b328e02dc0601102c0a9dc00e719cfdc1a043527da389a16219107f828a745.jpg)
Bruce Willis and Tallulah Willis on his 60th birthday on March 21, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
![Tallulah and Bruce Willis with Lilly Tartikoff at the EIF Revlon Run/Walk For Women on May 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/f5e9a2d17ed708720ab11c854454f9f126b08ef4b33ee679f37d59156668cb05.jpg)
Tallulah and Bruce Willis with Lilly Tartikoff at the EIF Revlon Run/Walk For Women on May 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
She had been dealing with the effects of being bullied by the media. Things became so bad that she said she forgot about being sweet and her love for fashion. Additionally, the comments about her being deformed stuck in her mind. However, even though she lost herself, she was able to find her way back.
![Tallulah Willis and Demi Moore at the Hammer Museum's "Gala In The Garden" honoring Joni Mitchell and Mark Bradford on October 11, 2014 in Westwood, California. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/edd2797d73214fa0a2309deb95fa6d193e50c9286e0a2a4c6474f2403711a4cc.jpg)
Tallulah Willis and Demi Moore at the Hammer Museum’s “Gala In The Garden” honoring Joni Mitchell and Mark Bradford on October 11, 2014 in Westwood, California. | Source: Getty Images
![Tallulah Willis at the Salvatore Ferragamo 100 Years In Hollywood celebration on September 9, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/12af2597ad3bf2a4cc4bf0e590dfaad866ee29cb9787d79c6500c1c3af4c59e4.jpg)
Tallulah Willis at the Salvatore Ferragamo 100 Years In Hollywood celebration on September 9, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Years later, she was grateful for the positive things in her life. Tallulah became more grateful even though she said the voices of her tormentors still echoed dimly. She wrote, “They will live with me each day I glide this earth. But with (near) complete ownership of self comes the ability to set the rules, and they do not steer this beautiful ship anymore.”
![Rumer Willis, Bruce Willis, Tallulah Belle Willis, Demi Moore, and Scout LaRue Willis as Rumer makes her broadway debut as "Roxie Hart" in "Chicago" on September 21, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/9c97f52135155ab6fd95483549e8ef943e61fc7fc80391f6084f6ee4d8cc6228.jpg)
Rumer Willis, Bruce Willis, Tallulah Belle Willis, Demi Moore, and Scout LaRue Willis as Rumer makes her broadway debut as “Roxie Hart” in “Chicago” on September 21, 2015, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
![Tallulah Willis at the "Metallic Life" by Brian Bowen Smith event on October 22, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/1964e0d88ea39e219be7196643e79029a34650b26407a6d941c7067c785c95d8.jpg)
Tallulah Willis at the “Metallic Life” by Brian Bowen Smith event on October 22, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
By the time she was 25, she was admitted to a residential treatment facility in Malibu. Tallulah was dealing with the depression she had lived with through her adolescence. The treatment experience was therapeutic for her.
Tallulah said she grieved her 15-year-old misfit, the one she had seen as an ugly duckling. At the same time, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). With this diagnosis, she had to take stimulant medications, and this transformed her.
Tallulah recalled that the medications made her feel smart for the first time. She also began enjoying how the medication suppressed her appetite. She saw it as a way to banish the awkward adolescent stage and take on her flighty little pixie.
However, enjoying the medication began to take its toll. Tallulah was dealing with an eating disorder. When she began losing weight, there was excitement. The excitement soon turned into concerns from her friends and family. But, she held onto the belief that her medication was crucial for maintaining focus and building a life beyond her appearance.
An eating disorders therapist later explained it to her. She learned about the paradox of feeling bigger as she shrank. This highlighted the complexity of her eating disorder. While she was busy showing off her body on social media, her dad struggled silently. Doctors were trying to figure out what was wrong with him, but they didn’t know yet.
Then came a moment that hit Tallulah hard. At a wedding, she realized she would never hear her dad talk about her as an adult, especially not at her own wedding. It made her very sad. Despite this, she stayed focused on her body.
By 2022, life became a series of challenges for Tallulah. She was extremely thin, always cold, and needed IV treatment at home because she couldn’t walk far without getting tired. It was the same year her family announced Bruce Willis’ diagnosis.
In early 2022, Tallulah’s family announced that Bruce was suffering from aphasia. The condition made it hard for him to speak or understand speech. Later that year, they learned it was a symptom of frontotemporal dementia. This is a progressive neurological disorder affecting his cognition and behavior.
Bruce has two children with her stepmother, Emma Heming Willis. However, Tallulah worried her father had lost interest in her. These thoughts, though untrue, plagued her mind with feelings of inadequacy. She thought:
“I’m not beautiful enough for my mother, I’m not interesting enough for my father.”
Tallulah’s path to healing took a significant turn in June 2022. At the time, her fiancé, Dillon Buss, ended their relationship. Her family intervened during this challenging moment. They sent her to a residential recovery center. There, she encountered various therapies.
The center also adjusted her medication. They also gave Tallulah a new diagnosis: borderline personality disorder. This condition challenges emotional regulation and stability in relationships. By October, she felt much improved.
Tallulah began focusing on improving her father’s comfort as she felt better. She reflected on the complexities of growing up in a high-profile family. Finding her place was hard. Yet, she now finds herself in a brighter spot. She basks in the light of her own identity and accomplishments.
Tallulah saw this period as a uniquely precious time for her family. She cherished the moments of togetherness and transformation. She was grateful for her presence. It was an opportunity to help her family.
![Tallulah Willis at the Versace x NET-A-PORTER event in Los Angeles, California on March 7, 2024. | Source: Getty Images](https://cdn.amomama.com/d05ae552d9e192f77ac6ebfa517dff7825b7edd3b9e914ef7cd9df0ce779c7a4.jpg)
Tallulah Willis at the Versace x NET-A-PORTER event in Los Angeles, California on March 7, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
![Justin Acee | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/0b7f9bd1fdda2b286d9f23f27a46dad1f246fc20bef30f2df3ca6c71212d4b19.png)
Justin Acee | Source: Instagram/buuski
![Tallulah Willis and Justin Acee | Source: Instagram/buuski](https://cdn.amomama.com/a2cc70244d277c227890542c5b6359c60a6f721f40939645982143034094c646.png)
Tallulah Willis and Justin Acee | Source: Instagram/buuski
For the event, she did not walk the red carpet alone. She had her mother and older sisters, Rumer and Scout LaRue Willis. Tallulah stepped out in a sleeveless tulle full-length Zac Posen gown. Her dress was accented in the brand’s signature pleats.
Tallulah finished her look with a gold purse. It complimented her jewelry and she showed off her red manicure. She styled her orange-red hair in an updo, leaving a fringe complimenting her face.
Tallulah’s journey shows resilience and courage. It’s also a testament to the power of seeking help and support. She has faced many challenges. They include struggles with her own identity and navigating her father’s declining health. But she has persevered with grace and strength.
She is willing to confront her demons. She seeks treatment and embraces her true self. This reflects a journey of deep growth and healing. Through her story, Tallulah inspires others. She urges them to face their struggles with bravery. They should seek help when needed. They should embrace the journey. It’s one of self-discovery and healing.
They should do so with hope and determination. Share Tallulah’s story. It will raise awareness about mental health. It will encourage open talks. It will foster a supportive and healing community.