Denise Richards on Oils, OnlyFans, and the Secret to a Happy Marriage

TUESDAY 8:12 PM MARCH 4, 2025 DOWNTOWN

Welcome to OFF MENU, a column where we gossip and gorge with our favorite tastemakers. For this installment, we went back to our favorite Noho haunt, Temple Bar, where Addison Rae crashed our holiday party last year. This time we were joined for a round of cocktails on a rainy Tuesday night by the one time Housewife, Bond Girl, Playboy centerfold and eternal sex symbol Denise Richards. As many of us recall, the actress spent years as the subject of tabloid fodder over her messy public divorce from Charlie Sheen. But Richards has kept an unflinching composure amidst the chaos, continuing to act and eventually making the pivot to reality TV, joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2018. Her time on the show would cost her a lifelong friendship with Lisa Rinna but also earned her a newly rabid fan base and a litany of viral moments (See: “Bravo, Bravo, Bravo” and that alleged upside down jacket). Richards is now marking a new chapter in her life by returning to Bravo, this time on her own terms, with Denise Richards & Her Wild Things, in which she goes down memory lane with unexpected guests, including her ex-husband, his former wife Brooke Mueller, and her former Housewives rival Erika Jayne. The show zooms in on her unconventional family life with her husband Aaron Phypers, and her three kids: budding OnlyFans star Sami, the proudly devout Lola, and her adopted daughter Eloise, who lives with a rare genetic disorder. Over Temple Bar’s world famous “Penicillins,” concocted of scotch, lemon juice and honey-ginger syrup, we got to talking about co-parenting in the public eye, embracing her status as a sex symbol, and where she stands with some of her former Housewives co-stars.

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EMILY SANDSTROM: What does a regular day in New York look like for you? 

DENISE RICHARDS: A regular day in New York is usually doing press. So it’s getting up very early and doing glam and then going to talk shows. This trip was particularly fun, because my older daughters were with me and it’s the first time they’re doing press. They’ve never been in front of a live audience. 

SANDSTROM: How are they finding it? 

RICHARDS: I’m so impressed by how they’re handling it, because it’s a lot to have your show come out and to be doing press. They’re handling it with such grace. It can be very daunting. I wish I had the confidence that they had when I was their age.

SANDSTROM: They’re very much Yin and Yang, which is my favorite part. Lola, with the Christianity–I’m obsessed. Do you think it’s a phase?

RICHARDS: Oh, no. I raised the girls Catholic. They were baptized when they were babies. And Lola has found a wonderful group of friends that are very involved in their faith and I really applaud her for being able to be so vocal about it. I’m so happy that she feels secure enough to do that. 

SANDSTROM: Absolutely. With the reference to Wild Things in the title of the show, I’m wondering how that film has aged for you.

RICHARDS: It’s amazing for me to see different generations discover the movie and enjoy it. I’m very grateful and thankful for that.

SANDSTROM: Now that enough time has gone by I can ask: were there too many twists in the movie?

RICHARDS: No! I think the twists and turns are so fun.

SANDSTROM: And your daughters haven’t seen it, right?

RICHARDS: They haven’t seen it.

SANDSTROM: Are they going to?

RICHARDS: I doubt it. For them, it’s mom working and that’s my job. Some people don’t believe me. They’re like, “Oh, of course your kids watched it.” But if it were me, I wouldn’t want to watch my mom doing certain things.

SANDSTROM: Right, it’s like one of the horniest movies ever made. 

RICHARDS: Yeah. I mean, you’re not going to want to watch your mom do that.

SANDSTROM: Also, Brooke Mueller makes an appearance on the show. I think a lot of people wouldn’t have expected that.

RICHARDS: Well, it’s not like I talk about it all the time either. Even though I’ve done reality television, I’m also private too.

SANDSTROM: Of course.

RICHARDS: There’s been a lot of ups and downs between me and Charlie [Sheen] and me and Brooke. I was always protective of that and I wasn’t one that would always say stuff, but if I’m asked about it, I’ll answer. With Brooke, I’ve always wanted things to be peaceful and harmonious between us, since she’s the mother of my daughter’s brothers. So we reconnected a couple years ago. She’s in a good space and she knows that, at the end of the day, I’m always here for her and the boys. 

SANDSTROM: Is Charlie pleased that you guys have developed a friendship?

RICHARDS: He’s good either way. [Laughs]

SANDSTROM: How are you guys co-parenting and how is he kind of–

RICHARDS: I don’t call it co-parenting, to be truthful with you. It’s parenting. He does his, I do mine. A lot of people have asked me that over the years and I really didn’t know how to answer that question, because we’ve never co-parented. And he would say the same thing, I think. I parent how I parent and he parents how he parents. I wish it was co-parenting, where we were on the same page about things, but we’re not. And that’s okay. 

SANDSTROM: Would you say that you’re more on the same page now than you have been?

RICHARDS: No. 

SANDSTROM: What’s his response to the show? Has he been supportive? 

RICHARDS: I think that’s a question truly for him. I will say that he did make an appearance and I’m glad he did, as he should be supporting our daughters. Things are calm and peaceful between us, but it’s up and down all the time and I just ride the waves as they are. I’ve dealt with this for so long.

SANDSTROM: Such a long time. You do speak about it in the show that came out in 2008–

RICHARDS: It’s Complicated.

SANDSTROM: That one. You spoke about how with the girls, you felt like you had to lie a lot to protect them, and you’re trying to hold your family together in this very unusual moment.

RICHARDS: I did.

SANDSTROM: Do you feel like now you guys are able to have the tough adult conversations?

RICHARDS: The girls have asked me questions, why I didn’t share certain things, and I try to explain to them, “What was I going to say?” I wanted them to have their own relationship with their dad. I didn’t want them to have a relationship based on what someone’s opinion may be, what they may read. There were actually quite a few hard conversations where they asked me certain things and I said, “There’s no handbook for this. I did the best I could.”

SANDSTROM: Is it frustrating for you being so far out of that divorce and to have it still come up?

RICHARDS: I’m so used to it, so I don’t get angry or upset. I get that people are still curious about it, also because I haven’t said much about it. They see what they see, and a lot of things happened long after we weren’t together, when he was going through all that stuff.

SANDSTROM: Yeah. I wanted to ask about Aaron’s wellness center. Are you into any alternate wellness stuff?

RICHARDS: I believe in all different modalities, both western and eastern. I believe in homeopathic treatments and I also believe in western medicine. Personally, I like combining everything. 

SANDSTROM: Are there any weird treatments that you’re into?

RICHARDS: I’ve had IV with vitamin C when I’m sick. But I’m someone that likes to do things more naturally. I really believe in a lot of minerals and if I’m run down, different things can help with that. I don’t have a daily routine that I do. I stick with my skincare routine, but it changes if I’m wearing a lot of makeup or if I’m flying a lot. 

SANDSTROM: Speaking of skincare, are there any products that you swear by right now?

RICHARDS: I am one with different oils. When I’m not working, I love to not wear makeup and just put on different serums and creams. I have done fillers, but I don’t like it. It makes my face look puffy. I’m more about facials and some lasers, but I really feel that taking care of myself is more internal. I’ve always been an advocate for that and working out. I drink two liters of water a day.

SANDSTROM: Wow.

RICHARDS: I know. I pee all day long, which I know people love when I’m working. 

SANDSTROM: Love that. I want to jump into the OnlyFans stuff. How long did it take you to be okay with Sami doing it after she approached you?

RICHARDS: I didn’t know what it was when she first told me she was going to join it. And then I learned about it and all I said was, “Make sure this is something you really want to do, because you could be perceived a certain way and I want to make sure you are aware of that.” And then she still did it. When I saw she was getting backlash, I sent a post out on my Instagram and made an offhand comment like, “Maybe I’ll do it too.” And I did, because after Wild Things people perceived me like I was that character and as a sex symbol. Which is not a bad thing. I embrace that. I truly do. 

SANDSTROM: But when you announced you were doing OnlyFans, none of your friends came to you and they were like “What the fuck?”

RICHARDS: Oh, they were all asking me about it.

SANDSTROM: And were you like, “I don’t want to hear it?”

RICHARDS: Oh, no. They wanted to do it too. They were so curious. Many people were calling me. Men and women. I always say the ones that are really judging are the ones that are on there.

SANDSTROM: With Sami, was it difficult for you as a parent to hear people sharing what they thought about that?

RICHARDS: No matter what my kids do, it’s hard as a parent to hear any negativity. With the girls, I try to hold off as long as possible with them even doing social media, and I put different things on their phone so they couldn’t open an account. Eventually, you have to give in. It is what it is. Alex Baskin, after Real Housewives, approached me about doing a family reality show. And I said to the girls, “I want to make sure this is something you really want to do, because it’s different from doing little scenes in Housewives.” But I also thought it was a good opportunity for them, being the daughters of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, to be themselves and have their own voice. 

SANDSTROM: Were either of them hesitant?

RICHARDS: Sami was not hesitant at all. She always has said, “We need to have another reality show. It’s always crazy, mom, there needs to be cameras.” Lola was a little hesitant at first, but then she decided that it was an opportunity for her to share her faith and her beliefs. And then Eloise, she loves seeing herself on camera, and loves having her picture taken.

SANDSTROM: When you did It’s Complicated, it was kind of controversial that you brought your kids on it, right? 

RICHARDS: Well, the Kardashians had their kids on. 

SANDSTROM: Everyone was doing it. 

RICHARDS: I went through a lot with all that and my divorce and Jill was the one who pushed me to just be quiet. It’s so hard to not defend yourself when you’re misunderstood, when you have lies said about you. It was such a learning lesson though for me, because I was such a people pleaser when I started my career. I was so guarded and had to say the right things. 

SANDSTROM: Okay. Housewives?

RICHARDS: Yes.

SANDSTROM: The final time you and Lisa [Rinna] spoke, tell me about it. Was that documented in the show or did you guys have any lingering interactions?

RICHARDS: We had one more interaction that was not documented. It was because a mutual friend passed away, so I called her. That was the last time we spoke to each other.

SANDSTROM: Do you miss her?

RICHARDS: No. I missed what it was. But now I don’t.

SANDSTROM: How did you navigate that?

RICHARDS: It was uneasy. She was a friend of 20 years, but you just get through life. It was incredibly hurtful, but I really enjoyed doing Housewives. There’s nothing like those trips. It’s so fun to be able to get a group of women together. When you have husbands and wives and kids and careers, sometimes we don’t take that time to do stuff like that. I made friends during the show, lost a friend during the show, and that’s okay. I would do it again. My first season was amazing. My second season went sideways, but I didn’t go back because it didn’t seem like many of them wanted me back after my reunion. I thought, “How does this make sense for me to go back? No one likes me.” Except Garcelle [Beauvais], and I’m actually really good friends with Sutton too.

SANDSTROM: Oh, yeah?

RICHARDS: Yeah. We got to know each other really towards the end and mostly after the show. I’m actually doing Watch What Happens Live with her. But at the time I was like, “How do I make this make sense for me to go back when I want to be myself on the show? And if no one wants to be my friend, what the hell am I going to do?” With hindsight, I should have gone back, but I just felt so vulnerable, like no one wanted me there. 

SANDSTROM: Are you watching the current season?

RICHARDS: I haven’t caught up with it.

SANDSTROM: Do you know much about the divorce with Dorit [Kemsley] and PK?

RICHARDS: I’ve heard bits and pieces. Obviously it shows up on my Instagram, but I haven’t watched it.

SANDSTROM: Other than Sutton and Garcelle, are you in contact with anyone else?

RICHARDS: Camille, I’m very close with. Forever. And Crystal [Kung Minkoff] and Kathy Hilton. Then I reconnected with Erika Jayne on the new show, and I’m glad because in my first season I really felt like she and I had a good connection. But then it quickly went in a different direction and I just felt like there were some things that were unresolved between us. 

SANDSTROM: Do you guys work it out on the show? 

RICHARDS: I can’t say too much.

SANDSTROM: You have some really iconic moments on the show. The “Bravo, Bravo, Bravo” and the other one that’s like your jacket—

RICHARDS: Oh, the jacket upside down.

SANDSTROM: Do people bring that up to you all the time?

RICHARDS: All the time.

SANDSTROM: Was it upside down?

RICHARDS: Listen, I did not care what my jacket looked like. I wanted to get the hell out of that dinner. I was fine to leave. And when I wore it out on Watch What Happens Live the last time I was on his show, I came out with it upside down and then he was like, “It doesn’t look upside down.” I go, “I know, you can’t even tell.” I don’t even care. Dorit’s someone who will say whatever, and that’s too bad. I liked Dorit, but I haven’t talked to her in a while. I mean, if you have a hair out of place, she’ll tell you.

SANDSTROM: My last question is, what’s the secret to a happy marriage?

RICHARDS: He’s my best friend and we don’t try to change each other. And my advice, especially to couples who just had a child, is to do a staycation at least one night a month, even if you don’t have kids. Just so you can have your romance, no distractions, and just reconnect as a couple. We have made a point of doing that one night a month at least, just to have that time for ourselves and not feel guilty about it.