Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers split after 6 years of marriage. Inside the divorce filing, spousal support demands, lavish lifestyle, and more.
In a development that has caught fans and entertainment insiders by surprise, Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers are officially ending their six-year marriage. Once seen as a solid celebrity couple with spiritual chemistry and a blended family dynamic, their relationship has now taken a legal turn toward separation. According to newly surfaced court documents, Phypers filed for divorce on July 7, 2025, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The news follows closely behind the couple’s previously aired statements about never divorcing, making the revelation all the more dramatic.
Let’s take a deeper look at how this Hollywood love story unraveled, what’s being demanded in court, and what it reveals about the couple’s financial realities behind closed doors.
A Romance That Started in Malibu Ends with Divorce Papers
Denise Richards, 54, and Aaron Phypers, 52, began dating in June 2017, after meeting at the Malibu-based healing center where Phypers worked. Richards was visiting the alternative therapy clinic for what Denise Richards described as “preventative DNA repair.” Their connection quickly deepened beyond patient and practitioner. Just over a year later, the couple tied the knot in an intimate, last-minute ceremony in Malibu on September 8, 2018.
Their wedding and early married life were occasionally documented on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where Richards shared her newfound happiness. At the time, Phypers also seemed supportive, blending into Richards’ family life and even beginning the process to legally adopt her youngest daughter, Eloise, now 14.
Divorce Filing Details: From Separation Date to Legal Demands
According to official court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Phypers listed the couple’s date of separation as July 4, 2025, just days before filing. The filing cited the typical Hollywood divorce cause—irreconcilable differences—but a closer look at the papers reveals far more intriguing details.
Phypers is requesting:
- Spousal support from Richards
- Division of assets and debts to keep specific items as separate property
- Equal split of their entertainment company, Smoke & Mirrors Entertainment
Among the items Phypers wishes to keep are his 2018 Indian Dark Horse motorcycle, Ford Shelby GT500, and power tools—suggesting he wants a clear boundary on personal belongings amid the financial untangling.
Aaron Phypers Seeks Spousal Support: What’s at Stake?
In one of the most headline-making requests, Phypers is asking for spousal support from Richards, alleging that he has no current income and that she has been the primary breadwinner throughout their marriage.
According to Page Six and TMZ, Phypers estimates that Richards earns more than $250,000 per month, with income flowing in from various channels including:
- OnlyFans subscriptions
- Television roles and reality show appearances
- Brand sponsorships and endorsements
Meanwhile, Phypers claims his financial contribution to the household has been minimal in recent years, and that he has relied on Denise Richards to cover both joint and personal expenses.
A Look Into Their Lavish Lifestyle
The divorce filings don’t just reveal the split—they give a rare peek into the couple’s ultra-luxurious lifestyle. Phypers estimates their monthly expenses totaled a staggering $105,000, including:
- $20,000 for clothing
- $18,000 in rent
- $15,000 each for dining and entertainment
- $10,000 for groceries
- $8,000 in utilities
According to Phypers, these costs were consistently covered by Denise Richards during the marriage. This paints a picture of an opulent day-to-day life fueled largely by her career earnings, and it also helps explain his financial requests in the divorce.
What About Denise Richards’s Daughter Eloise?
While the couple did not have any biological children together, Denise Richards has three daughters—two from her previous marriage to actor Charlie Sheen (Sami and Lola), and Eloise, whom Denise Richards adopted in 2011 as a single mother. During their marriage, Phypers began the process of adopting Eloise.
Although the adoption was mentioned in past interviews and reality TV clips, the legal paperwork for Eloise’s adoption by Phypers has not been confirmed. With Eloise now 14, the issue may not factor heavily into custody battles, but it still adds emotional complexity to the separation.
Public vs. Private: Love on Reality TV
The couple’s relationship played out on the small screen, both during Denise’s time on Real Housewives and more recently on the spin-off reality series Denise Richards & Her Wild Things.
In a particularly ironic twist, one of the show’s March 2025 episodes featured Richards and Phypers openly discussing why they would never get divorced.
Richards candidly stated:
“I’m never getting divorced again. Even if we hate each other, I’m not gonna f—— get divorced.”
Phypers added:
“We’ll just live in different houses. But we’re not gonna hate each other.”
These statements, filmed just months before the split, now read more like foreshadowing—or possibly an attempt to save face amid already-growing tension.
Denise’s Past with Charlie Sheen: A Complicated History
Before Aaron, Denise Richards was famously married to Charlie Sheen from 2002 to 2006. Their marriage, and especially the divorce, was plagued by intense media coverage, custody disputes, and public feuds. Richards has spoken often about the trauma of being judged during her divorce from Sheen, which may explain her past reluctance to go through another split.
In the March episode of Wild Things, Richards admitted:
“The judgment from other people and being made out to be this awful woman… I’ll never get divorced, even if we hate each other.”
Her hesitation seems to stem not just from emotional difficulty, but from her distaste for the public scrutiny that high-profile divorces often bring.
Smoke & Mirrors Entertainment
Another legal wrinkle in the separation involves the couple’s joint business, Smoke & Mirrors Entertainment—a production company they co-founded during their marriage. Phypers is requesting an equal division of this enterprise, although it’s unclear how active the company is or how profitable it remains.
Richards has been actively working, recently filming more reality content and returning to scripted television. If the business is deemed community property, courts could mandate an equal division or payout agreement.
Denise Downsizing Amid Financial Pressure?
According to insiders close to the situation, Denise Richards has recently downsized to a rental apartment in Los Angeles, allegedly due to financial pressures. While she remains active professionally, the costs associated with maintaining her family and lifestyle—as well as supporting Phypers—may have prompted the move.
Despite this, Richards has made no public statement regarding the divorce filing, choosing to remain quiet for now.
Second Divorce for Both: A Pattern or Just Life?
For both Richards and Phypers, this marks their second divorce. Richards’ high-profile split from Charlie Sheen was tabloid gold in the 2000s, while Phypers was briefly married to Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan, finalizing that divorce just weeks before marrying Richards.
The new split suggests that even after years of experience, fame, and supposed compatibility, Hollywood marriages remain fragile under the pressure of careers, cameras, and financial imbalance.
From Spiritual Healing to Legal Healing
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers’ marriage began at a place of healing—and now seems to be ending in a place of reflection. The romantic spark they once nurtured at a Malibu wellness center has faded, leaving behind a trail of legal filings, financial complexities, and media curiosity.
Whether this separation remains civil or turns messy remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: even the strongest on-screen declarations of love can sometimes hide fractures only visible in private.
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