NEED TO KNOW
Denise Richards is back in front of the cameras.
The actress, 54, has been filming for the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills amid her tumultuous divorce from Aaron Phypers, PEOPLE can confirm.
Photos obtained by TMZ captured Richards meeting Sutton Stracke and Erika Jayne for dinner on Saturday, Aug. 2, five years after her dramatic exit from the show in 2020.
“Denise still has a lot of connections within the cast of RHOBH even though she’s no longer a Housewife,” a source close to production tells PEOPLE. “She’s filmed scenes throughout the years before. She’s tight with Sutton, has maintained a good relationship with Kyle [Richards] and even mended fences with Erika recently. So it made sense for her to come and film again, and share her side of the story since the news has been a topic of conversation off-camera among this friendship circle.”
TMZ
“This is such a difficult time for Denise and she’s leaning on friends who understand more than anyone the pain of divorce,” the insider continues. “In many ways, this brought them all closer. Hopefully it will open the door for more from her in the future; the fans love seeing her.”
PEOPLE has reached out to reps at Bravo for comment.
The news comes after Richards claimed she was physically abused by Phypers throughout their six-year marriage.
After he first filed for divorce on July 7, citing July 4 as their date of separation, Richards made allegations in court documents that she was “afraid” to report Phypers’ alleged behavior to the police “because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police, among his other threats of harm to me and himself if he is reported for his abuse to anyone.”
The Starship Troopers actress further alleged that Phypers, 49, caused her “at least three concussions,” that he “owns at least eight unregistered guns” along with “multiple bullet proof vests” and that he “threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
In a statement to PEOPLE, Phypers denied Richards’ claims, calling them “baseless.”
“These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful,” he said. “Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect.”
Leon Bennett/Getty
Days before filming with her former RHOBH costars, Richards claimed Phypers violated her temporary restraining order against him “on multiple occasions.”
She alleged in a July 28 filing that Phypers had been spreading “private information … that he stole” to the media, highlighting several interviews in which Phypers stated that he had photos and text messages proving that Richards was allegedly having an affair and that she had allegedly physically abused him.
Richards’ divorce attorney, Brett Berman, called the allegations “false” in a statement to PEOPLE.
“We have warned Mr. Phypers in writing not to disseminate any information from Ms. Richards’ stolen cell phone and laptop but, he continues to do so,” Berman said.
In response to Richards’ filing, Phypers issued a statement to PEOPLE saying, “I absolutely deny the false allegations that I violated the restraining order or stole Denise’s laptop or cell phones.”
“These claims are not only untrue — they are being weaponized to damage my reputation and distract from the truth,” he added.
Phypers went on to allege that it was Richards who took his phone without consent and physically assaulted him when he tried to retrieve it. He claimed that he later found it “smashed and hidden in a black trash bag.”
“I have nothing to hide. Her legal team’s efforts to twist the narrative and create false evidence are deeply unethical and will have serious consequences,” his statement concluded. “Everything being claimed can be disproven. And I trust that the truth will come to light.”
Arnold Jerocki/Getty
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Richards appeared on RHOBH as a main cast member in seasons 10 and 11, but left in 2020 when she couldn’t reach an agreement on a deal to return, Andy Cohen previously shared.
In 2025, she and her family received their own reality series on Bravo titled Denise Richards & Her Wild Things, but it was later announced that it will not have a sophomore run as it was always planned as a limited series from the outset.
