Tallulah Willis says she was diagnosed with autism as an adult: 'It's changed my life'

Tallulah Willis is publicly opening up about her autism diagnosis for the first time.

On March 15, the youngest daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis posted a throwback video on Instagram from when she was a child attending an event with her dad.

In the clip, the actor was holding Tallulah while he answered questions on the red carpet. As he was being interviewed, she occupied herself by rubbing his shaven head with her hand and playing with his ears.

“Tell me your autistic without telling me your autistic,” she wrote in the caption of the post, adding a crying-laughing emoji.

When asked in the comment section of the post if she was diagnosed with ASD, or autism spectrum disorder, as a child, she replied, “Actually this is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis. Found out this summer and it’s changed my life.”

Autism spectrum disorder is defined as “a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health. It’s considered a “spectrum” disorder because the type and severity of symptoms varies widely for people.

A research paper published in 2019 stated that women are often diagnosed with autism later in life than men. The qualitative study examined women who were diagnosed with autism as adults and found that they often felt they were “wrong,” “broken,” and “bad,” but receiving a diagnosis gave them the opportunity to transition from “self-critical to self-compassionate.”

Tallulah Willis’ comment section was flooded with support and praised her for being candid about her diagnosis.

She took the opportunity to reply to several other comments on the post, including one from her sister, Scout LaRue Willis, who commented, “She’s stimming.” Tallulah Willis responded, “Dude the ear curl. I wish we had stronger audio.”

According to the Cleveland Clinic, stimming — also known as self-stimulatory behavior — is when an individual makes repeated movements and sounds to help regulate emotions, in some cases. It’s often, but not always, associated with autism spectrum disorder.

One commenter wrote, “What an amazing memory of you and your dad. Neurospicy folx make the world a better place.” Tallulah Willis replied, “neurospicy,” with a heart-eyes emoji and tagged her sister, Rumer Willis.

Another commenter called out Bruce Willis’ calm and collected reaction to his daughter’s actions, writing, “I love how unfazed your Dad is here.”

“He understood the assignment,” she responded.

Tallulah Willis has been candid about her health in recent years, including her struggles with an eating disorder and diagnosis with ADHD and borderline personality disorder.

In a personal essay written for Vogue in May 2023, Tallulah Willis opened up about how her own struggles affected her ability to cope with her father’s health after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023.

“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 wrote at the time. “The truth is that I was too sick myself to handle it.”

Tallulah Willis said she had suffered from anorexia nervosa for four years but was “reluctant” to talk about it. When she turned 25, she said she was admitted to a treatment facility for depression and was later diagnosed with ADHD.

Then in June of 2022, Tallulah Willis went through a breakup with her then-fiancé and was sent to a rehabilitation center by her family. It was there she she was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, which is a mental health condition that affects how people feel about themselves and others, according to Mayo Clinic.

“By the time I left Texas, in October, I felt a lot better,” she wrote in Vogue. “I realized that what I wanted more than harmony with my body was harmony with my family—to no longer worry them, to bring a levity to my sisters and my parents.”

In February, she reflected on her struggle with an eating disorder in an Instagram post, sharing several photos of herself as a child. Alongside the photos, she wrote in part in the caption, “This little raggymuffin is so special and it’s strange to know that and want to give her abundance and vitality — LIFE!”