Kevin Smith on Bruce Willis after aphasia announcement, WONDERCON 2022

Kevin Smith gives his thoughts on Bruce Willis days after the announcement that Willis is retiring due to aphasia. Recorded on April 1st, 2022 at WonderCon in Anaheim CA

[@waynedchang]

Goddamn. It takes a rare person to cop to when and how they were wrong when egos get bruised, but to do so with such candor and energy? Bravo, Kevin.

[@jimjam51075]

Except when he slandered Clownfish TV because they revealed his He-Man series was going to really be about Teela. He lied before it came out that it wasn't and denigrated the couple that does the channel. Never apologized. He's apologizing about Willis for the same reason he used to tell the bad stories about Willis, it makes Kevin Smith look good. The comments here are proof people buy this act.

[@waynedchang]

@@jimjam51075 You got a a point. Then again, most people even tangentially related to comic book culture have a bone to pick with each other.

[@jimjam51075]

@@waynedchang Indeed.

[@britva836]

Kevin is a solid guy. It's refreshing to see someone go through a 13 min self-reflection and it be a learning experience for everyone.

[@silverphoenix684]

Now if only he would give Paula Poundstone her jacket back.

[@DickDiamond74]

@@silverphoenix684 now THAT's a deep dive

[@CHADCZ123]

Remember Paula was sentenced to 13 years for child abuse.

[@CHADCZ123]

And Kevin is a desperate Hollywood fanboy who hasn’t matured at all.

[@DickDiamond74]

@@CHADCZ123 and you're a CHAD. sit yo ass down

[@hazmatt72]

I love Kev. Not because he's funny AF, but for his deep reserves of empathy and how he demonstrates so publicly that it's ok for us guys to *feel*. I hope him and Bruce have the best possible time when they catch up.

[@benjaminvillarreal1499]

agreed. I don't think I've ever seen a Kevin Smith movie. But as a "celebrity" I just think he's a great figurehead for the Hollywood nerd types

[@mandofan2616]

Kev is honest and human and I love him for that

[@kamenanew9867]

@@benjaminvillarreal1499 I really dig that. A welcome change. It's hard to separate for some people, so the mindset of I don't care for what they do and hence they themselves suck too, is pretty bad. Good on you sir.

[@johnsaul5142]

You put that perfectly. We need more KEVIN SMITHS in the world. I never get choked up. Watching him sincerely upset about BRUCE WILLIS health, almost did it to me. Thank you kevin

[@kamenanew9867]

@@johnsaul5142 are...are you the author?

[@ididthisonpulpous6526]

It is very touching to see anyone, especially a Hollywood director, answer questions so honestly and deeply. Kevin Smith get criticized a lot for his emotional responses, but this feels 100% genuine and heartfelt. He talked about his disagreements with Bruce Willis for a long time as a kind of punchline, but to have some level of catharsis over Willis' illness seems a nice addendum.

[@DickDiamond74]

He's criticized because those 'critics' have zero to little empathy, and may never get it. The sad part is, since it's 'Hollywood', any emotion shown is seen as fake or for show.

[@wasteland6961]

Well said.

[@kapnkool]

I have no words. This speech is incredibly moving and shows what an upstanding guy Kevin is.

[@localcrew]

“Copland” was indeed an amazing movie.

[@FOUR2NINE2011]

Hes such a genuine dude that its impossible not to like him

[@ndl6827]

Have you seen the woke-@$$ (S)He-man that he did? It IS possible to not like him now.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

He really is a good guy. My friend met him at a restaurant (truck stop diner Perkins) back in like 2005 and told me how truly down to earth Kevin was and how he said my friend wasn't bothering him at all because he loves fans and he's not some big celeb like Matt Damon or something LOL. (He worked with Damon in Dogma)

[@markalvord7834]

Kevin Smith never disappoints what a great speech

[@davidpietarila699]

My father took his own life a long time ago, and my uncle blamed by mother for decades. Then my brother died of cancer and my uncle felt TERRIBLE about the way he behaved for so long, and literally over night he let all of his animosity go, apologized to her, and now they are friends.

[@TheKyleMark]

My mother and I had a pretty awful relationship until my brother killed himself a couple years ago. Things are still tense sometimes, but it’s amazing how much something like that can realign your priorities and perspective.

[@joycain7363]

Made me cry. Kevin is so sincere and kind soul. I grew up on Bruce’s movies and even if he used to show bad temper on movie sets, it’s still heartbreaking what’s happening to him

[@gluuuuue]

Thing about getting older is just.. maybe that's "wisdom" and maturity or maybe it's just the realization nobody gets to escape.. time. Not to say whatever beef they or any of us had wasn't real or wasn't a sore point, but.. at every moment during your life, you decide what's worth keeping and what's important, and what you let go. Bruce Willis was a huge part of my and who knows how many people's lives..

[@Thunder-Chief]

Love Kevin Smith! One of the best storytellers of our generation. Ask a little question and get taken on a 13 minute journey. His "Evening with..." specials are some of the most entertaining lecture series / comedy specials I have ever seen.

[@JS-fe6kh]

Finding out my sister had Alzheimer’s explained a lot as well about things in the past. They are horrible illnesses. I hate that it happened to Bruce. Read an article dissing him a few months ago after I read he was experiencing dementia, aphasia is part of that. They were dissing him on wearing the ear piece during filming. So sent them a link to the article about his illness, now it's even worse with aphasia. I work with the elderly. We have folks who babble thinking they're communicating... its so hard to watch. When my moms dementia got bad, same thing, they can't communicate. I give him credit trying as long as he did to work. Thanks Mike. That was special.

[@zombygunslinger]

I was there, it was very moving and sincere. If you get a chance to see Kevin Smith riff I recommend it. It was all pretty funny until this, but it was all really amazing.

[@davidwadham5269]

Wow! I wish l was there man! Kevin moved me to tears 😢 😭 💔 It was so generous of him to share his feelings and l look forward to the outcome of his meeting 🤝 with Bruce.

[@tobyreinhardt9022]

This is why I love this man. He's got balls!!

[@erich6860]

This kind of raw honesty is rare in Hollywood.

[@donwinslow522]

Thank you, Kevin. Your words were very powerful. My heart goes out to anyone, suffering from aphasia.

[@esraeloh8681]

Don't ever apologise for the tears bro, genuine raw emotion is the most relatable thing

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

People are so fake today with their pretend feelings it's nice to see Kevin show some real feelings

[@Dreamaster2012]

This was beautiful Kevin, a tribute to your deep humanity and soulful being. Thanks for evolving your consciousness for the good of all.

[@c7lee]

Kindness goes a long way. You never know what someone is going through at the time of an interaction. Kev a real one sharing his thoughts.

[@Garrus1995]

It must be a very painful experience to have to hear that a man you idolized is facing a disease that is going to slowly take away the person he is/was. Smith was clearly disenchanted by having worked with Bruce, but I’m sure that deep respect and admiration nonetheless persisted, because even if the guy was kind of a jerk, you still have incredible memories of who he was to you as a kid.

[@nhmooytis7058]

Like Robin Williams and Terry Jones 😪

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Bruce is a legend and he owes us nothing more.

[@JasonDeline]

This was beautiful. I remember hearing the stories about Cop Out, and I too have held resentment towards Bruce for the past 12 years. I'm very happy that Kevin finished this story on a high note. Thank you Kevin. Might sound corny, but I feel somewhat healed. ❤️

[@slipperykorn144]

The fact that he ended it with "lets give it up for Bruce" just makes it hit so much harder

[@IsaiahStewartJazz]

Wonderful tribute to Bruno. Brought tears to my eyes.

[@bobgarlen]

It's genuinely heartwarming to see this from Kevin. I know it's a meme that he cries over everything but this time it felt real and personal in ways him watching the flash or Star Wars really didn't. It's a great respect to Bruce Willis.

[@Jimmyjim4]

Shoosh vermin

[@themoviebuff6196]

Genuine affection and empathy!! Much love and respect to Kevin! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@TheGonzoArt]

This is why Kevin Smith is one of my idols!!!!

[@JD-vh1qd]

I love Kevin Smith. They need to put Moonlighting reruns on TV. God I miss being a kid in the 80 s

[@barriolimbas]

Yeah and with Bruce Willis retiring it's like those times are even more gone.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

I turned 40 a few weeks back and things like this with Bruce really make me feel it. The sad part is, I don't feel like the world and our culture and even our people are becoming better or kinder or even more interesting. Just greed and artificiality and sheep.

[@thediminutiveword]

This brought me to tears. Not just for Bruce, but for Kevin too. Man, Bruce Willis...we have his creative catalogue...I hope somehow he recovers...but I feel some sense of grief..not just for Bruce, myself, but Kevin Smith too.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Bruce isn't dead. He still can have many good years left to be happy and enjoy his family. His career can end with total dignity because he is such a legend. It's nice to see he was a good dude in real life too.

[@johnhernandez1983]

Kevin is such a genuine person with a big heart

[@ericfromcanarsie4274]

Proud to share the same generation with Kevin Smith

[@davidhornbeck2970]

Your heart makes the best decisions , keep it up Kevin ❤️

[@KeithDCanada]

I get what Kevin is saying. Everyone has had those situations, where a friends, or family member, and you, just rub each other the wrong way.. and years may pass where you don't speak. Then suddenly, some life changing event happens, and it feels like all the past bullshit disappears, and you're back in contact again.

[@mjwbulich]

Except they were never close. No one reaches out to the guy you didn't get along with at work years ago. This is all just Kevin being a nice guy and saying the right things in public.

[@KeithDCanada]

@@mjwbulich Or... because Kevin idolized Bruce from a young age, and wanted so much to work with him, it was - for Kevin anyway - like he had lost contact with an old friend. Granted it wasn't that way for Bruce, but from Kevin's side.. yeah I could see it as him reconnecting with the actor he loved in his youth.

[@Irishgui83]

@DSUM well in that case, can any year from the 90s gimme a call please? I'd like to catch up.

[@kyleshaw4954]

You’re a real dude, Kevin. Appreciate you and prayers up for Bruce

[@mage1439]

Emotional KS makes me emotional. I like when people can move past things and see something they've not been able to see for a while. And looking at some of the comments here, it bears mentioning: if you can't help but come and have something bad to say about any person or any situation, really that's hurting you more than it is anybody else.

[@kinetikx]

I don't know how you did it, but of the top KZbin results you have the best audio. You should have more views, and you should be at the top of the results.

[@cherrythegeektv8053]

Share it. :)

[@shilohstore6086]

100%

[@johaniffsofiz]

We need our heroes and our love for them is eternal

[@bmiller949]

I was at Wondercon, sorry I missed the panel. I would have been sobbing like a baby if I was.

[@johndcnative482]

Kevin you are a great man. I may not see it all your way, but I feel your humanity and kindness. Thank you for being here...

[@Theomite]

Kevin might very well be the great monologuist of our time. His spoken-word work might eclipse his film work someday in terms of importance.

[@theJ3ZA]

I watched Kevin stuff alot. Loved the fatman on batman show and podcast. I trailed off the last few years, the dynamic shifted with the covid shows, and politics of everything. And the he-man fiasco. But damn man. I do love the guy. Kevin just expressed what he thinks and feels so well, and I think he knows the effect that has. Watching him gives us the permission to feel what he's feeling, which is so rare these days. And it feels like a gift to watch him talk about something that had a genuine impact on him. I do miss seeing him as much as I used to. Kevin Smith, what a guy

[@StealthMarmot_]

One thing I like about Kevin is how open he is about self reflecting and realizing when he was wrong, or has regrets. He's a good guy who doesn't try to justify anything, he just shows honest regret and apologies. Even here, he couldn't have known what was going on, but he feels open guilt about it and says sorry.

[@Cybertron-cs7sk]

So humbling extremely touching, deepest respect x

[@joeletaxi821]

God’s blessings on Bruce.

[@Przykominku]

These were some really powerful words. Thank You Kevin.

[@CannabaeCG]

Man thank you so much for posting this. So humbling. I love both these guys and was hoping they'd make up before it got too late for Bruce.

[@joexyoungsgetwritinghorror3528]

Thank you for this, I really needed it today XXX

[@thomasnegovanonline]

Thank you for recording and posting this. 🙏🏻

[@samfrito]

Such a great watch and one I won't soon forget. KS never disappoints and always says something very real.

[@jerseyheller2263]

Bruce and him worked on Die Hard 4 together before Couple Of Dicks/Cop Out and this speech made me tear up too 😢

[@kyoko703]

Mr. Wizard on the cb radio.

[@72FilmProductions]

Thanks for posting this Cherry!

[@spleenzen]

It’s always okay to feel and it’s always okay to forgive. You never know what another person is going through. Be good to one another. We should all strive to be more Kevin Smith-like.

[@trevorberridge6079]

From what little I know of aphasia it can be caused by a stroke, head trauma, tumours or anything that causes any kind of brain damage and can sometimes improve over time. But, it can also deteriorate gradually if it's the result of a slow growing tumour or other progressive brain trauma. Bruce may not have had aphasia at the time he filmed Cop Out. His interaction with Kevin was different than it was with others on set. They could well have just had a clash of personalities at that particular time. As reported to Kevin, Bruce didn't communicate at the time that he actually liked Kevin. He may have been mystified as to why things went sour between them and just stayed at arms length. These misunderstandings can occur. Very hard to tell at this distance if aphasia had anything to do with it. Seeing as Kevin can't get in a time machine and change things and seeing as nothing he did would have prevented Bruce from having this condition, he needs to forgive himself for the crime of being an imperfect human being and join the rest of us mugs in Oops-ville.

[@ShaunHensley]

Even if he wasn't afflicted, this is good story about not taking things so seriously, sometimes there's friction and people butt heads on projects, it doesn't always mean it's personal

[@Theomite]

Still, Kevin told the story about Bruce tearing pages out of a script as "chuffa" meaning "extraneous stuff" but in reflection, it does make one wonder if there were problems even in those days. Terry Jones died within 3 years of his aphasia diagnosis, so he must have been deep into it when he retired. If Bruce has only retired now and rumors persisted for at least 5-6 years for now, he might've been living with the preliminaries for about a decade, especially given his career choices around that time.

[@aspireahead8388]

Great speech... I don't know why, but it made me think of Rocky's speech at the end of Rocky IV... "If I can change... and you can change... We all can change..." I guess any of us can change...

[@bobafeet1234]

Very heartfelt response. Kevin always came off as a good guy. Hope he and Bruce can patch things up.

[@epichaiku]

I love him so much. So grateful he shared this! I remember being so heart broken for him when Cop Out came out.

[@steveleeart]

Beautiful and heartbreaking too 💔 Love both these guys and didn’t really learn about their split until more recently. I don’t know why I didn’t know about it. But beautiful to see the forgiveness, the regret, the honesty, the love.

[@forbesy8568]

so true

[@philmarston9078]

Time sadly goes by so quickly. regret can literally last a lifetime if not careful.

[@kathryncleary1766]

Oh Kevin what a beautiful speech you made me cry ❤

[@phillipevans7045]

Kevin did all right with that question. He gave it thought.

[@DrOculusVR]

As a person in the UK that would never have had the chance to see this I just wanna say thanks for having the time and thought to share this.

[@ORLOSTguy]

Kevin I appreciate the real response to the question. Hopefully he gets some time with Bruce to heal what was a tough time on set. Oh and btw, the closed captioning on this video is hilarious. So badly done.

[@mikemac6265]

“Let’s give it up for fruit!”

[@lisanadile4688]

I completely understand Kevin's feelings and nostalgia. David Addison was a first love of mine! My dad had a stroke and the results were aphasia and apraxia. I’m just going to suggest lightly to not completely rewrite history because of Bruce's diagnosis. And let’s not whitewash all his bad behavior from a decade ago, for goodness sake. We don’t know the specifics of how he got it-if he had a stroke or some other kind of trauma-meaning if there was a precipitating event, for example. But a nice deep wallow in a tub of empathy is wonderful for the heart and soul, darn it.

[@skylinerunner1695]

I love your comment. Thank you x

[@lisanadile4688]

@@skylinerunner1695 😀

[@jasonbittner4504]

What “bad behavior”? Are you talking about? Not that you’re any authority to judge.

[@lisanadile4688]

@@jasonbittner4504 So you don’t believe the examples that Kevin has provided over the years, and in his book?

[@wtk6069]

The only behavior likely relevant to his situation was taking a risky, experimental injection in 2021 because it's known to cause and/or exacerbate aphasia, and nobody should beat a guy up for succumbing to peer pressure to get it.

[@JoshHofer]

when kevin cries i cry. i'm glad i came across this video, thanks for sharing.

[@sinistermoon]

When I met Kevin I asked him if Bruce ever saw what he wrote about him in his book and if he ever took issue with it. At the time, that line of questioning stopped Kevin in his tracks. He of course said that he hopes Bruce didn't take offense to it and that so far no lawyers had hit him up or anything. If you don't know, Kevin wrote about the whole Cop Out thing in his book, and it made Bruce come off as an action movie star in real life lol. They were shooting a scene, I think it was in a restaurant or something. Things weren't really working out, Bruce had everyone clear the room, then he went to Kevin and said things like "I bet you want to punch me don't you" and Kevin was shaking in his boots. I would have been too, I mean come on, Bruce Willis! But all these years later, to hear his thoughts of what Bruce is going though is really good to hear. He wasn't in it for the money, he just wanted to work with Bruce and was hoping Bruce would like him. On another note, Kevin kind of looks like a bottle of Pepto-Bismol with that blazer on.

[@tt4570]

That was very heartfelt ❤️

[@benwhittingtonmusic]

I really hope Bruce somehow sees this.

[@arch1ve]

This is how to show growth as a person as a lesson for people. I know I've held grudges. Sometimes it takes a tragedy for people to wake up to themselves and see things that need a change, and to actually make that change. It's unfortunate, but it's true. I have a lot of respect for Kevin Smith for being so open, especially emotionally open, about this situation. He is great at communicating his emotions. Important thing for humans to do.

[@mynameisNeo369]

Love Kev and Bruce, mad respect ❤️

[@joshuamervis]

Lots of truth here. Thanks.

[@mrbeckles1980]

I love Kevin and Bruce. This was beautiful.

[@Biotoze]

Damn that was realness. Love you Kevin. I watch you and Marc Bernardin when I’ve got the time.

[@davidwadham5269]

Kevin you moved me to tears 😢 Thank you for your work, your compassion, your humour and love ❤️ Thank you and please 🙏 send my love to Bruce and his family 👪

[@ernienieves3229]

How could you not love Kev!

[@iamjoehalenbeck500]

started my lazy sunday morning stroking my morning wood an now we are all in tears

[@suzettekrasner]

This is the true human condition at work, Kevin I'm glad you got closure with that time in your life with Bruce. And Bruce is making amends on his side with who he can, with the time he has left.

[@dragon7590]

I wouldn't consider myself a fan of Kevin Smith films but I'm always captivated to hear hin speak on any subject.

[@helenomstreken7577]

That was beautiful and sincere

[@Cyril29a]

Compassion may not always be the answer but compassion will never make things worse and it will often lead you to the answer. Graciousness plus generosity plus patience brings peace.

[@singin8324]

Wow, that was powerful.

[@allanwind295]

That was beautiful, Kevin.

[@marvinshenk]

Kevin Smith was a huge Bruce Willis fan, got to work with him, and Bruce was an asshole to him, and Kevin Smith still has great things to say about him. Kevin Smith has the biggest heart in Hollywood.

[@loudlament1657]

Good for you, Kevin.

[@mattdrase7493]

I totally had that Bruno cassette! I sold tapes for a middle school fundraiser and of course you end up getting a few for yourself to help the "cause". So awesome!

[@rishoutfield2043]

This was immensely moving. Thank you so much for posting it.

[@crescendo5594]

That’s a very thoughtful response.

[@Ogrematic]

We love you, Kevin.

[@americanpancakelive]

So fucking honest and I really appreciate it so much.

[@sie4431]

Better than anything from Kevin's last few stand ups

[@silsonsteve]

Great story, great storytelling. Got me ballin'

[@send2mc]

I loved this. I like Kevin Smith more than I did before watching this. I also like Bruce Willis more too.

[@flightofthebumblebee9529]

Kevin and Bruce are both awesome. I despise the current state of what is considered a "celeb" and as a 40 year old I can say I'm a huge fan of both and they're both good people.

[@pixiedancer8267]

Kevin Smith is a class act and National treasure.

[@joethompson5673]

Wow!!! Kevin Smith is even cooler in my eyes now!!!

[@gboy1973]

this is nice and heartwarming

[@MrJ1Horrordirector]

Bruce the Man willis bro For some reason this fucking speech took me back to the Best moments with my little sister. Godbless her soul. Thanks Kevin.

[@nickwhite1314]

Love Kevin Smith such a real dude

[@JohnLaMonte]

Wow! Profound, almost spiritual……….thanks

[@RealThermoguy]

It breaks my heart to hear about Bruce Willis and aphasia. As a professor lecturing accredited medical education programs required for ongoing medical licensing, I have help for Bruce and am not selling anything. It is critically important to address sooner than later.

[@micronaught]

Freakin love Kevin smith . 🙂