The Razzies rescind Bruce Willis’ mock award after his aphasia diagnosis

The Razzies, a satirical award show that highlights the worst films of the year, on Thursday rescinded the prize given to Bruce Willis after the actor’s family revealed he had been diagnosed with aphasia. 

“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,” Razzies co-founders John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy said in a statement about the Golden Raspberry Awards. “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.”

The Razzies made an entire category for Mr. Willis this year, nominating eight of his movies for “Worst Performance by Bruce Willis” in a 2021 movie. The award went to the sci-fi action movie “Cosmic Sin.”

“The category was never meant to be an ongoing part of the Razzies. So it will not be repeated,” the statement added.

Mr. Willis’ family revealed the diagnosis in a joint Instagram statement earlier this week. 

“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” they wrote.

According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia is a condition that limits a person’s ability to communicate, affecting a person’s ability to speak, write, and understand written and verbal language. It often occurs following a stroke or head injury. 

Mr. Wilson and Ms. Murphy also rescinded Shelly Duvall’s award for “The Shining” from the first Razzie awards in 1980. 

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