Demi Moore's Relapse Was Terrifying for Her Daughters — and Hearing Them Say It Was an Important Part of Her Recovery

Louisa Ballhaus

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Demi Moore has been baring her soul this year, letting the public in on her long struggle with addiction in her new memoir Inside Out. Moore’s daughters describe their mom’s relapse on a Red Table Talk episode airing Monday, and it’s striking to see the actress really take in what her addiction was like for her kids. Moore hearing what her daughters have to say isn’t just key to repairing their relationship; it’s an important part of Moore’s overall recovery too.

Moore will be joined on Jada Pinkett Smith’s show by co-host Willow Smith, and her three daughters with ex-husband Bruce Willis: Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah Willis. While the 56-year-old is now very close to with daughters, that wasn’t always the case. Moore’s addiction struggles often overwhelmed her ability to be there for her children — and now, Moore is facing that reality head-on.

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In the teaser for Monday’s episode, Jada asks Tallulah what it was like to witness Moore’s most recent relapse. “It was like the sun went down, like a monster came,” her youngest daughter describes. “I remember, there’s just the anxiety that would come up in my body when I could sense her eyes shutting a little bit more, the way she was speaking, or she would be a lot more affectionate with me if she wasn’t sober.”

If you didn’t know their backstory, you might not now it was Moore’s behavior she’s describing. The actress listens stoically, so calm it’s hard to imagine what her daughter describes. “I recall being very upset,” Tallulah continues, “Treating her like a child and speaking to her like a child. It was not the mom that we had grown up with.”

What Tallulah is saying holds a powerful message for anyone struggling with addiction, or watching a loved one struggle. When Moore was in the throes of her relapse, the addiction overwhelmed her. She had to shield herself not only from the harm she was doing to herself but how it was affecting those around her. Moore’s recovery won’t be complete until she can look honestly at what that time was like for her daughters.

Moore doubles down on taking an unflinching look at her past by both hearing her daughters describe this and choosing to make this conversation public. She’s not just comfortable facing her daughter describing these awful moments; She’s comfortable with the whole world hearing it too.

Moore knows that recovery means shining a light on the things that are hardest to look at — and she’s committed to doing just that.

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