What We Know About Rumer Willis' Boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas
It was love at first sight for Rumer Willis when she met her boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas. "I heard him open his mouth and sing, and I was like, 'I love this man,'" she recalled on the "Bathroom Chronicles" podcast. But unfortunately, a friend told the actor that Thomas was in a serious relationship at the time. "Then I kind of waited and I thought ... 'I'm gonna let it go,'" she continued. "'Worst case scenario, maybe we can make some music together.'"
A couple of months went by, and Willis decided to slide into Thomas' Instagram DMs, only to find out that he had broken up with his girlfriend. "We started spending time together, and the first date we had, he just started talking in an accent to me, the whole car ride home," she said. "We were talking in a Southern accent together, and I was like, 'Oh my god, this is my person. This is amazing.'"
Early into the two's relationship, it was clear that they were happy together. "In the short time we've been together you have filled my life with joy and peace," Thomas wrote in his Instagram caption on Willis' birthday. "Everything is just so easy with you. Thank you for being you. You're a magical human. I'm so glad you came into my life." It seems that Willis' is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, but what is he known for?
Derek Richard Thomas is a musician and a music producer
Rumer Willis' boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas, is a musician. He is also a music producer and has his own record label called In the DRT Records. As a musician, he has released solo music, and was also a part of a band called Vista Kicks. The band has a close partnership with The Hail Maries. In February 2023, Thomas announced that Vista Kicks was splitting up, mentioning that the band as a whole wanted to take different paths and approaches to their music independently.
"We're leaving the door open to come together in the future as Vista Maries, but there are no guarantees," the musician wrote in his Instagram caption, adding that all of the band members will be pursuing solo music careers. "Life is ever changing and our lives have been blessed with an incredible journey so far, we're hopeful and excited to see what the future has in store for all of us." He also took the time to promote the band's final record, and to thank the fans for listening.
Before the band split, Willis got to perform alongside her boyfriend. She gushed about the experience on Instagram, writing, "@derekrichardthomas and @thehailmaries are the most talented singers and songwriters I have heard in a very long time (maybe ever) and tonight I had the pleasure of getting to sing a few tunes with them."
Rumer Willis and Derek Richard Thomas have a baby
On April 25, 2023, Rumer Willis announced that she gave birth to a baby girl. "Louetta Isley Thomas Willis," she wrote in her Instagram caption. "You are pure magic. Born at home on Tuesday April 18th. You are more than we ever dreamed of."
When the actor was pregnant with her baby, she gushed about the experience of becoming a mother. "It was never a question for me that I wanted to be a mom," she said on the "Bathroom Chronicles" podcast. (2:10) "That just felt like such a divine purpose and something that when I started thinking about it, felt like such joy." She then added that she started getting excited to do the simple things in life with her child, such as going to the farmer's market.
On "The Talk" in November 2020, Willis talked about the importance of finding the right partner before having a baby. "It's important to wait," she said. "I think it's so important not to rush in and have it be about the lust or about, you know, that immediate connection, than building a real foundation." And it seems that her boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas, is the right partner for her.