Legendary actor Bill Murray fought back tears during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live Monday night while discussing his longtime friend Bruce Willis, who has been battling frontotemporal dementia and aphasia since 2021. The emotional moment came as Murray reflected on their friendship spanning nearly 50 years, from Willis’ early days as an NBC page to their later work together in films like Moonrise Kingdom.
Murray shared a poignant story about first meeting Willis when the Die Hard star was just starting out in entertainment as a page at Saturday Night Live. “He would come into our dressing rooms and refill the M&M and pretzel containers,” Murray recalled with a smile. The Ghostbusters star revealed that years later, after Willis became famous, he thanked Murray and late SNL cast member Gilda Radner “for being nice to me” during those humble beginnings.
As Murray recounted the memory to host Andy Cohen, his voice cracked with emotion. “He’s a good f***ing guy,” Murray said, pointing to his glassy eyes as he struggled to maintain composure. The raw moment clearly affected Cohen as well, with the host appearing moved by Murray’s display of affection for his ailing friend.
The actors reunited professionally in Wes Anderson’s 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom, which Murray called “a really beautiful, lovely film” that gave them the chance to work together as established stars. Their friendship comes full circle as Willis recently celebrated his 70th birthday while facing significant health challenges that forced his retirement from acting.
Murray’s emotional tribute highlights the deep bonds formed in Hollywood, proving that even decades after their SNL days, the connection between these two icons remains as strong as ever.
