Inside the Decades-Long Friendship of Hollywood Stars Don Johnson and Bruce Willis
Don Johnson and Bruce Willis are the perfect example of a true bond that has lasted decades.
Updated March 10 2025, 12:23 p.m. ET
Many may not think of Hollywood as the place to foster long-lasting friendships, but Don Johnson and Bruce Willis are the perfect example of a true bond that has lasted decades.
The Hollywood legends have enjoyed tremendous success throughout the course of their impressive careers — which is how they met and established a beautiful friendship.
Inside Don Johnson and Bruce Willis's friendship.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Don recalled how he and Willis met and became fast friends while they were embarking on their television careers.
Don recalled advocating for Bruce to appear on his iconic 1980s series Miami Vice early in his career. "It was his first episodic TV, before Moonlighting. And I knew him from New York, and I'd hang out with him and he was funny,” Don said.
"So I called our casting director on Miami Vice and I said, 'You know, there's a guy over there and I think he's a struggling actor, and you should bring him in and read him because he's really funny and I think he’d be good. She brought him in and she read him and she cast him for the wife-beater," he continued.
Don met Bruce before he was an actor.
In a March 10 interview with Good Morning America, Don shared that he initially met Bruce when he was still trying to break into the world of Hollywood.
“Bruce and I were friends when he was a bartender at Cafe Central and I’d go in there and sit with Bruce,” Don said. “I didn’t drink at the time, but Bruce was such a good storyteller, and he’d tell me about all the trials and tribulations of dealing with the drunks and the actors. And I got to be friendly with him. I said, ‘You’d be awesome [as an actor].'”
Don gave an update on Bruce’s current health status.
When asked about how Bruce was doing since being diagnosed with aphasia and dementia, Don provided supportive news about the actor, who has officially retired from acting.
“We’re best of friends and he’s having a little bit of a struggle right now and I take this moment to send him love,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
Here's what we know about Bruce’s health struggles.
In March 2022, Bruce’s family formally announced that he was suffering from aphasia, before announcing a year later in February 2023, that he was also diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, per CNN.
His family’s decision to speak out was followed by multiple reports that Bruce was having trouble remembering his lines while on set filming movies, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Since publicly sharing his diagnosis, Bruce’s family has provided regular updates about how he is doing following a retreat outside of the Hollywood spotlight.
Ex-wife Demi Moore, the three daughters she shares with Bruce, and his current wife, have all stated that despite his health issues, Bruce is doing well even with his current cognitive decline.