The Heartbreaking Reason Rumer Willis Almost Stayed With Her Baby's Father

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As revealed to fans in August 2024, Rumer Willis and her ex-boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas, had called it quits, but there was more to the story, as the pair almost stayed together. "Nope I am single momming it and co-parenting," Willis responded when a fan asked if she was still dating the Vista Kicks singer during an Instagram Q&A (via E! News). The former couple welcomed their daughter, Louetta, into the world in April 2023, not very long after making their relationship Instagram official in November 2022. In her response to fans, "The House Bunny" actor added how "grateful" she was to have dated Thomas because it led to having her daughter. A couple of months after announcing the split, Willis detailed how difficult it was to break up with her baby's father.

Appearing on "The Glamour & Grit Podcast" on October 21, 2024, Willis opened up about her past relationship and said that even when she knew the love was gone, she still considered staying with Thomas for Louetta's sake. "But then I thought, isn't it actually better — not only for myself, but for her also — to maybe find another situation where I have romance and I'm lit up," Willis said. Even though she continued to co-parent with her ex, being a single mother had its own challenges.

Shortly after splitting from Louetta's dad, the "Sorority Row" actor leaned on her mother, Demi Moore, and even her father, Bruce Willis, who had been diagnosed with dementia, for help. "Rumer is disappointed things fell apart with Derek, she's going through all those emotions but luckily she has a ton of support," a source told Life & Style in September 2024. In fact, it was Moore and Bruce's post-divorce relationship that laid the blueprint for Rumer navigating life as a single mom. 

Rumer Willis may have almost stayed with Derek Richard Thomas solely for their daughter's sake, but the pair were able to stay on good terms despite breaking up. "Derek and I have an unbelievable co-parenting relationship and friendship that's so loving and wonderful," the actor told E! News at the premiere of her movie "Trail of Vengeance" on October 18. "He's still my best friend," she added. 

Rumer further revealed that the relationship between Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, who continued to co-parent after their divorce, had inspired her own post-breakup relationship with Thomas. "I'm so grateful. I think one of the most beautiful things to witness about my parents' relationship still is just their love and support of each other," she said when speaking to People at the film premiere. Rumer discussed how vital it was to put the child first when co-parenting and how her parents laid out an exemplary example. "I never had to split a holiday. We never had to split family vacations or Christmases or birthdays," she added.

Rumer's remarks about her baby's father were not just empty platitudes. A month after announcing their split, photographers for the Daily Mail spotted her with Thomas as the two took their daughter, Louetta, for a walk in her stroller. This spoke volumes for the former couple's co-parenting abilities, as only days earlier, Page Six had published snaps of Rumer exchanging kisses with a mystery man. Even though she had apparently moved on from Thomas, the two still managed to put Louetta first — which is exactly the example Bruce and Moore had set out over two decades earlier.