Rumer Willis and her mother Demi Moore are bravely putting up a united front in their fight to protect Rumer’s 3-year-old daughter from what they say is a volatile situation with the little girl’s father, Rumer’s ex-partner Derek Richard Thomas. Along with following in her parents’ acting footsteps, Rumer is the 2015 “Dancing With the Stars” champion alongside Val Chmerkovskiy.
On May 28, People reported they learned from recent court filings that Rumer is seeking custody their daughter Louetta, and has submitted filings opposing Thomas’ request for a child custody order, in which he is seeking visitation and custody rights.
The report says Rumer stood up for herself by disclosing in her filings that she has experienced “a persistent pattern” of emotional abuse from her ex, that began prior to their 2024 split.
She additionally stated that incidents have taken place “often in front of the minor child or while they were trapped in the car with him.”
Rumer has the full support of her mother, “Indecent Proposal” actress Demi Moore, who People says submitted a declaration stating she witnessed “aggressive” behavior from Rumer’s ex during the April 2023 home birth of Louetta, where Moore was present along with Rumer’s sisters, Scout and Tallulah.
Rumer also expressed concerns in her filings about witnessing Thomas consuming excessive amounts of marijuana that she feels impaired his ability to safely watch the child.
For his part, Thomas denied Rumer’s declarations through his lawyer. People says they were told his representation, “”Mr. Thomas is a devoted, loving caring father to Louetta. It is most unfortunate to put it mildly that Miss Willis is actively obstructing Mr. Thomas‘s relationship with his daughter. Miss Willis has made many inaccurate and false statements about the nature of the relationship between herself and Mr. Thomas, Mr. Thomas‘s care and treatment of Louetta and allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence. We deny each and all of these allegations made against Mr. Thomas and we look forward to presenting truthful accurate information to the court in the near future.”
Rumer Willis Grateful for Daughter’s Chance to Know Bruce Willis
During her appearance on the May 18 episode of “The Inside Edit,” a podcast hosted by celeb stylist Maeve Reilly, Rumer described how
She said, “I love getting to go over and see him,” before wistfully expressing that she doesn’t now if her two sisters, both of whom have yet to welcome any children, will have the chance for their kids to do the same. She said she’s “so grateful” that Louetta was able to meet him.
Rumer also touched on how the whole family supports each other amid the “Die Hard” star’s devastating diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, which they learned about in 2022. “We don’t do it perfectly but we’re always striving to continue to create connection and find ways to be with each other and support each other through something that is kind of unprecedented.”
During the same podcast, Rumer mentioned a surprising new sign of Bruce’s personality that is shining through as his family surrounds him through his health battle. She explained, ““There’s a sweetness. He’s always been this kind of macho dude and there’s like a — fragile is not the right word but — just a tenderness that maybe being Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.”
Bruce’s wife Emma Heming Willis, whom he married in 2009 nearly a decade after his divorce from Demi Moore, gave a recent update on his health status. That update came via a May 27 “today” interview in which the 47-year-old told Savannah Guthrie, “You know, we’re doing well. My husband is supported and loved and we’re doing the best we can under the circumstances.”
She also said that as a caretaker, she’s staying focused on supporting her own brain health.
Rumer Previously Revealed the Moment She Knew Her Relationship With Her Child’s Father Had to End
During her wide-ranging podcast discussion with Reilly, Rumer said attending Reilly’s wedding and hearing the vows was the pivotal moment when she knew it was time to walk away from Thomas for good.
Rumer called the vows “a huge reckoning for me” before telling Reilly, “The situation I was in was never going to look like that, no matter how much effort I put in.”
She said the lightbulb moment taught her a valuable lesson about self-worth, adding, “I need to have more value for myself… I need to go and like, leave, no matter how scared I am and find something that looks like this, because I want that.”
