Rumer Willis is co-parenting «the best thing» in her life with ex Derek Richard Thomas.
The 36-year-old announced in a Q&A posted on her Instagram stories Aug. 22 that she and Thomas have broken up. They share 16-month-old Louetta Isley Thomas Willis, whom they affectionately have nicknamed Lou.
Responding to a question about whether she and Thomas are «still a couple,» Willis said, «Nope.»
«I am single momming it and Coparenting,» she added. «I’m so grateful for Lou. She is the best thing in my life and I’m forever grateful I was able to have the time in that relationship for her to come into my life.»
In responses to questions about having children, Willis said she wants «6 or 7.» She continued answering questions into Aug. 23, revealing whether she would «have more children as a single mama.»
«Definitely because having siblings is one of the best parts of my entire life,» Willis said, shouting out her siblings Scout, Tallulah, Evelyn and Mabel as her «best friends and favorite people.»
«I want that for Lou. So open to whatever that looks like in the future,» Willis added.
Lou has had a big impact on Willis’ life. The «Sorority Row» star told TODAY’s Hoda Kotb on May 29 that her daughter helps her feel more confident when she performs onstage.
«I think I always used to feel a bit nervous sometimes where I had that, almost, imposter syndrome. … And there’s something about becoming a mom that just, I don’t know, I have this kind of (feeling like) I can do anything,» she said.
Willis explained that it has also been nice to see her parents, Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, get along with her baby.
«Honestly, seeing them with her, it just, it almost unlocks all of these childhood memories because being a grandparent, I think, is the best. They have all of the love and joy without any of the responsibilities,» she laughed. «They get to just spoil her.»
«Lou is just starting to walk a little bit and she was walking over to (Bruce Willis) and it was so sweet,» she added. «It’s so nice because I feel like my dad is just, he’s a girl dad through and through. It almost unlocks that kind of little kid, girl dad thing. He’s so sweet with her.»
Willis also opened up about motherhood during a Dec. 19 Q&A she did with her fans on Instagram. There, she revealed how she came up with her daughter’s name.
“Her name is a mix of things I love,” Willis wrote in response to a question about the name. “I have always loved the name Lou so was thinking of that for both a boy or a girl but then when we found out she was a girl we came up with Louetta. We wanted to give her options, and me and my dad’s favorite singers are Lou = Louie Armstrong, Etta = Etta James, Isley — Isley Brothers.”
The portmanteau of the names “Lou” and “Etta” combines the names of the two Black solo musicians who once sang alongside each other for the song “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” Meanwhile, The Isley Brothers — who inspired Louetta’s middle name — popularized the song “Twist and Shout” in 1962.
In April 2023, Laura Wattenberg, founder of Namerology.com, spoke to TODAY.com about Willis’ baby name for her daughter.
“Louetta is an unconventional choice today, a genuine throwback,” Wattenberg said at the time, noting that in the early portion of the 20th century, it was in vogue to add “Etta” to the end of a name.
“It would have been the height of fashion,” she explained, adding that “parents of that time used the then-trendy ‘Etta’ ending the way parents today use endings like -leigh and -lyn.”
“You might have met a Loretta, Rosetta, Annetta, Floretta and many more,” she continued. “Today, this style of name is ultra-rare. It shows that you don’t necessarily have to invent a new name to be unique.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
