Whoopi Goldberg Praises Bruce Willis for Guiding Her in Hollywood: He ‘Was One of the Really Great Guys’

Goldberg praised Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis for standing by his side

Whoopi Goldberg attends the AMI - Alexandre Mattiussi Menswear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 22, 2025 in Paris, France.; Bruce Willis attends Moonrise Kingdom photocall at Cannes Film Festival in France.

Whoopi Goldberg in January (left); Bruce Willis in 2012 (right).Credit : 

Francois Durand/Getty; Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty

Whoopi Goldberg says Bruce Willis is “one of the really great guys.”

On the Wednesday, Sept. 10, episode of The View, Goldberg spoke to Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, who made an appearance to talk about her new book on caregiving, The Unexpected Journey.

Showing a photo of her and Bruce together, Whoopi said to Emma, “Your husband was one of the really great guys, one of the first people I ever met when I got famous, and he guided me along quite well. I’m glad he’s got you.”

She continued: “And I’m glad you’ve done this. Because it will help anyone, even if you’re not going through this, you need to take a look at this book, because you might find that you’re going through something. Maybe don’t wait until you need it. Maybe get it now.”

The View- Whoppi Goldberg

Whoop Goldberg on ‘The View’ on Sept. 10.The View/ABC

In 1986, Goldberg guest-starred in a season two episode of Willis’ hit TV series Moonlighting. Goldberg played a con artist who accidentally prevents a murder, making her a hero in the public eye. Then, in 1990, she starred in Ghost, which also featured Willis’ then-wife, Demi Moore. Goldberg won an Oscar for the film. Two years later, she and Willis starred in Robert Altman’s film The Player.

Goldberg revealed another connection with Willis last year. She explained in her 2024 memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother and Me that after she was nominated for an Oscar for The Colored Purple, there were few opportunities for a Black actor. But she believed she could play any role, and auditioned for parts that originally weren’t written for a Black woman.

“Most of the movie roles I played in the ‘80s and ‘90s were intended for other people,” Goldberg wrote. That included her leading role in Burglar in 1987, which was supposed to go to Bruce Willis, according to Goldberg. She was under consideration for a supporting role, but when Willis turned down the lead, she asked, “How about me?”

Willis’ aphasia diagnosis was revealed in 2022. Later that year, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a group of brain disorders that can lead to speech issues, loss of motor skills and personality changes.

The View-Emma Heming Willis

Emma Heming Willis on ‘The View’.The View/ABC

His wife recently opened up to PEOPLE in a cover story ahead of the release of her new book, saying she sees newfound beauty in her enduring love story with Bruce after 16 years of marriage and two kids: daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.

“It has meant so much to be able to meet him where he’s at, to enjoy this time with him,” Emma told PEOPLE. Her new book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, is a roadmap for caregivers navigating neurodegenerative disease.

“Bruce is very present in his body, and there is something so lovely and wonderful about that,” she told PEOPLE. “He’s not thinking about what happened yesterday or what’s happening in the future. He is very grounded in today.”

Although FTD has compromised his speech, Emma said, “Sometimes, love does not need words. I can just sit there with Bruce, and we look at each other and we laugh and smile and that, to me, is more than anything.”