Tallulah Willis just recently said that she was told she has autism as an adult. Tallulah, who is 30 years old, shared a video from when she was a kid on March 15, 2024.
Bruce Willis, her dad, was holding her while he talked to a reporter on the red carpet in the film.
In the middle of the conversation, Tallulah touched her dad on the head and played with his ears.
She wrote “tell me your autistic without telling me your autistic 😂” under the video on Instagram.
This was the first time Tallulah (subtly) told the world about her diagnosis. She did it when she replied to a comment on her post.
“If you’re open to sharing, did you get diagnosed as a child?” one person asked in a comment on the post. “Not sure how much of your journey you’ve shared but would love to read more. You’re brave and inspiring and this is a very sweet video.”
“Actually this is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis,” Tallulah responded.
“Found out this summer and it’s changed my life,” she said. A lot of people in the comments were positive, and some even said that Tallulah was “stimming” in the video.
The Cleveland Clinic says that “stimulating,” which is also known as “self-stimulatory behaviors,” is often linked to autism spectrum disorder, but not always.
When you stim, you keep making the same sounds or moves. For different people, stimming is fun. Some people stim to keep their emotions in check, like when they’re anxious or too stimulated.
Talk to moms about things that moms do. Do it and make money.
A lot of people also noticed that Bruce didn’t seem to care about how his daughter behaved in the video.
“I love how unfazed your Dad is here,” one person wrote.
“His care for your feelings is magic,” another commented. “Take it from someone who didn’t grow up with a father. ❤️ I’m so happy you have moments captured in the vault of Forever 💫.”
A lot of people who watched the movie thought it was a sweet memory Tallulah has of her father, who has frontotemporal dementia.
“What an amazing memory of you and your dad,” one person responded to the video. “Neurospicy folx make the world a better place. ❤.”
“This is actually beautiful to watch, his way of being with you as a kid,” another added.
This is an article that Tallulah wrote for Vogue about her life with depression, anorexia nervosa, ADHD, and borderline personality disorder, even though she was “afraid of looking like a spoiled, insensitive, whining jerk.”
As Bruce’s health started to get worse, Tallulah said in the article that she “was too sick [herself] to handle it.”
“I admit that I have met Bruce’s decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that I’m not proud of,” she said.
She started to feel better after going to a rehab center and being told she has borderline personality disorder. This has made it possible for her to be with her dad.
“Recovery is probably lifelong, but I now have the tools to be present in all facets of my life, and especially in my relationship with my dad,” she said. “I can bring him an energy that’s bright and sunny, no matter where I’ve been.”
“Now that I’m feeling better I ask myself, How can I make him more comfortable?” She went on in the essay.
