Denise Richards Found a Dramatic Way To Tell Her Side of the Story in Aaron Phypers Divorce
Denise Richards isn’t letting Aaron Phypers have the last word about their marriage — she’s taking the narrative into her own hands.
The 54-year-old actress and her ex-husband have had a tumultuous split after he filed for divorce on July 7. There have been allegations of domestic violence on his part and infidelity on her part with one of her Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test co-stars. Let’s just say, it’s been messy.
Now, Richards is returning to her old stomping grounds on reality TV with a return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which is currently filming its 15th season. TMZ spotted her on set in Los Angeles with Sutton Stracke and Erika Jayne. With her Denise & Her Wild Things series on E! officially canceled, it would make sense for her to return to her Bravo TV roots.
The media outlet was unclear in what capacity Richards will be featured — “full-time housewife or return in a ‘friend of’ role.” Still, the show is a way to get out her side of the story, especially since Phypers has been running to the Daily Mail and Page Six with “exclusives.”
On July 25, he wrote a letter to Page Six, which named her reported affair partner. “Privately, I’ve wrestled with the painful truth: that Denise has been involved in an ongoing affair with her Special Forces instructor, Rudy Reyes — something I confronted her about earlier this year,” Phypers wrote.
“She begged me not to leave, saying it was nothing and that she only loved me. Then, she denied it all — even the explicit messages I found,” he continued. “Despite her promise to stop, more lies, and shocking evidence emerged.”
Conversely, Richards was granted a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband on July 17, per TMZ. The media outlet published disturbing images of her injuries, but Phypers denied his ex-wife’s claims.
“Not true,” he said in a rebuttal to the media outlet. “I have all the details. She is creating a story to save her image, reporting a conjured-up story when I have all the real evidence.”
Phypers might stressed out a bit over Richards’ return to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills because fans have dredged up old clips of his time on the series. On July 17, a reality show fan shared a Season 10 video via Instagram that showed a tense exchange between the former couple.
They walked into a scene holding hands when Richards asked him not to ‘say a f—ing word.”
Phypers responded, “Don’t tell me what to say. I’m going to crush your f—ing hand. Stop it.”
Richards downplayed the incident to host Andy Cohen during the reunion episode in 2020. “I didn’t even know that [he said that],” she explained. “I played it for him, and he said, ‘I don’t even remember saying that. I don’t know why I would say that because I’m afraid of you.’” Richards claimed that she was describing the fear he had of her “in a joking way.”
The premiere date for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 15 has not yet been announced.
If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
Before you go, click here to see the longest celebrity divorces that took years to get finalized.