Real Housewives of Beverly Hills vet Denise RIchards made a limited return to the franchise in 2024 before expanding her reality TV wings on the 2025 TV schedule with her Wild Things series for Bravo and her short-lived run on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Unfortunately, her life has been just as drama-filled off-screen on the tumultuous road to divorcing her husband of nearly seven years, Aaron Phypers, who responded tor her recent restraining order filing with bombshell allegations of substance abuse and endangering their daughter.
The latest chapter in Richards’ marital story, which previously revolved around her up-and-down relationship with ex Charlie Sheen, took off earlier in July 2025 when Phypers filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Soon after, it wasn’t just insider sources sharing personal details, with both parties going public themselves with major accusations.
Denise Richards Makes Various Physical Abuse Allegations In Successful Restraining Order Filing
L:ess than two weeks after the divorce paperwork was filed, Denise Richards made a legal request (on July 16) for a restraining order against Aaron Phypers. Within the filing, she details an assortment of allegations, including:
Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me, hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me and hack into my laptop and phone and download all of my text messages.
Elsewhere in the paperwork, Richards accuses Phyper of harming her duing several specific instances during the first half of 2025, with a blow-up fight on July 4 being a catalyst for the split. Here are some of the other controversial allegations stated in the filing (via US Weekly):
- ““Aaron has caused me at least three concussions.”
- “Aaron repeatedly got within two inches of my face and screamed at me degrading profanities, including calling me a ‘cunt whore’ and a ‘piece of shit.'”
- “Aaron chased me and grabbed both of my arms forcefully and pushed me and dragged me to the ground. I landed on the stairs, causing immense pain.”
- “While I was asleep and without my permission, Aaron went into my settings on my laptop and through my iCloud account synched my iMessages (texts) to my laptop and downloaded everything from my iCloud (included my private text messages) onto my laptop and then took pictures of my text messages (which were then on my laptop).”
- “Later, while I was on the toilet peeing, Aaron smashed me on the top of my head with the palm of his hand while screaming at me, ‘Give me your fucking phone.'”
Within the filing, Denise Richards also included two photographs of herself with her left eye bruised and blackened. She claimed that Aaron Phypers caused that injury by striking her in the face on January 17.
Despite Phypers denying all of the claims made in the restraining order request, the court did indeed grant Richards the order for now, though a court hearing later in July could affect that ruling.
Aaron Phypers Claims Richards ‘Conjured Up’ Untrue Allegations And Makes His Own Accusations
In a letter allegedly written by Phypers to share with family members and friends, which was obtained by Page Six, Phypers lays out a variety of troublesome accusations about Richards’ behavior, accusing her of various forms substance abuse. As he put it:
For nearly a decade, she has struggled with an addiction to Vicodin (which she jokingly calls ‘Vitamin D’ or ‘white chestnuts’), mixed with Adderall and tequila. Some of you know this has been an issue for over 20 years. She’s no longer eating real meals, and I’ve witnessed her pass out from substances — putting herself and others in danger, including while driving with our daughter.
Phypers also brings their daughter up again in an attempt to spin one of Richards’ abuse claims by saying that she was the one who got out of line on July 4, and that she destroyed his phone.
On July 4th, a simple act — ordering food for our daughter Eloise — led to an unthinkable discovery. Denise accused me of using her card, and in the confusion, my phone disappeared. After searching for over 20 hours and being physically attacked when I asked for it back, I eventually found it smashed inside a trash bag, hidden beneath rotting garbage and litter. When I asked why, she denied it completely. That same night, she texted me saying she was filing for divorce.
It’s unclear how Phypers would have received the text if his phone was destroyed, nor why he was the one who filed for divorce if she was the one who said she’d do it. In any case, he states that he’s never physically attacked or harmed Richards, and then says:
I have only ever stepped in to protect her or others — including separating her from physically attacking her daughter — always coming from a place of care and concern.
He apparently didn’t go into detail about how Richards went about physically attacking their daughter. He did claim to have found an Airtab on his car, suggesting he was being followed or tracked, and says that his elderly parents have been “frightened and mistreated” because they have been supportive of their son throughout the relationship.
As for the image of Denise Richards sporting a black eye, Phypers claims that it was a photo taken in winter 2022, and that she drunkenly slipped and hit her face on the steps of his then-open medical clinic Q360, which has since been closed.
At the time of writing, Richards hasn’t yet offered up a rebuttal to everything her ex reportedly said in his letter to others in his life .But if and when it happens, she likely won’t be pulling any metaphorical punches.
