Bruce Willis 'not totally verbal' and his 'joie de vivre is gone,' says “Moonlighting” creator

Moonlighting, the genre-bending '80s series that made Bruce Willis a star, is finally streaming, having landed at Hulu earlier this week.

Created by Glenn Gordon Caron and co-starring Cybill Shepherd, Moonlighting is a perfect showcase of Willis' strengths, particularly its witty dialogue and rapid-fire banter. Unfortunately, Willis' dementia has rendered him "not totally verbal," according to Caron.

"I know he's really happy that [Moonlighting] is going to be available for people, even though he can't tell me that," Caron told The New York Post. "When I got to spend time with him we talked about it and I know he's excited."

ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd in 'Moonlighting'

Because the process of getting Moonlighting to streaming was long, Caron said he was able to communicate with Willis about the show "before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now."

He added, "I know it means a lot to him."

Willis' family revealed that he had been diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022 and would be stepping back from acting. Earlier this year, his family provided an update on Willis' condition, noting that it had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.

Caron said he tries to see Willis every month or so and that he thinks the Fifth Element star recognizes him when he does, albeit briefly.

"My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am," he said. "He's not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn't want anyone to know that — and he's not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he's still Bruce."

Caron continued, "When you're with him you know that he's Bruce and you're grateful that he's there," adding, "but the joie de vivre is gone."

For five seasons, Willis starred as slick-tongued detective David Addison opposite Shepherd's former model Maddie Hayes. Nominated for 41 Emmys, Moonlighting won six, including an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for Willis in 1987, a year before his breakout role in Die Hard.

Despite its accolades and acclaim, Moonlighting wasn't available on streaming due to the music rights, which owner Disney secured in the wake of Willis' diagnosis. The show is currently streaming on Hulu.

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