On Dear Media's Divorced Not Dead podcast on August 10, the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star—who divorced from the Two and a Half Men actor in 2005 when six months along with their second child—discussed their well-publicized divorce. Denise described their divorce as "tough," telling host Caroline Stanbury that "many factors" contributed to the breakdown of their marriage.
"The behind-the-scenes stuff was considerably worse than what was out there," she revealed, adding that while they put up a unified face in public, they weren't happy at home. "It was terrible."
Denise eventually moved away from Charlie, with whom she had two children, Sami, 18, and Lola, 17, after asking herself, "Would I want my daughters to marry this man?"
"No insult to him," she said, "but I think he'd take it and understand what I'm saying." "It was quite poisonous."
Despite their tumultuous past, the actress stated that she does not regret marrying Charlie "because I truly believe that he and I were brought together to have our girls."
In truth, Denise stated that the two reconnected "for a very little period" after the birth of Lola, but the reunion only reinforced her decision to leave the marriage. "It also helped me realize that one day I'd be able to tell my children that I done everything I could to build this family unit," she added. "I felt the most horrible about severing the familial unit. That was a problem for me for many years."
She said, "There is a lot that the general public is unaware of, and you never know what happens behind closed doors. It was a bad scenario."
E! News reached out to Charlie's representative but did not receive a response.
Following her divorce, Denise adopted her daughter Eloise in 2011. She wed Aaron Phypers, a specialist in holistic health, in 2018.
While her marriage to Charlie did not work out, the Wild Things star claims that their relationship has "evolved" over the years to a better place. "Charlie knows he can call me at any time, no matter what," she said. "I don't care what he says or does; I'll show up and be there because I've always wanted — and still want — him to be the best father for our girls."
When Denise chastised Charlie for disliking their daughter Sami's OnlyFans account earlier this year, the actor reacted by saying that his ex "has revealed a number of key aspects, that in my rush, I disregarded and rejected."
"It's more important than ever that Sami has a unified parental front to rely on as she starts on her new journey," he continued. "She'll have an abundance of it from now on."
Charlie Sheen & Denise Richards’s relationship timeline
One of the most well publicized relationships in Hollywood history was Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, followed by their divorce.
The couple had their first child, a girl named Sam Sheen, in 2004, after being married in 2002 and getting married in 2000. Later that year, they announced their second pregnancy, but the actress filed for divorce a few months before the baby was due. In the years that followed, the ex-spouses experienced a succession of ups and downs, particularly in relation to their money and custody arrangement.
Since then, Richards and Sheen have both given considerable attention to their interactions with their kids. On a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills episode, Richards disclosed, "I just feel like I really f—ed up with their dad. I don't want them to have flashbacks to childhood battles."
She said, "My girls have gone through a lot. "I decided to keep the kids in the dark about the turmoil that their father was experiencing."
Here is the whole history of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen's relationship, from their first encounter on the set through raising their children.
The couple watched the San Francisco Giants game at Sheen's condo on their first date. The actress admitted to PEOPLE that she initiated the kiss by doing so. He was a gentleman, Mr. Polite.
Richards had already decided he was "the one" after their second date. She remembered, "I wanted to keep it a secret, but I knew he was the one. I didn't want to declare to him, "You're my future spouse!" and make him flee, scaring him off."
Sheen proposed while on vacation at an Arizona spa less than three months after their initial date.
To PEOPLE, Richards recounted, "I realized when he brought out a package. Although I wanted to shout "Yes," I preferred to hear the entire sentence."
Just now, I asked Denise, "Will you marry me?" Added Sheen. "Pretty easy to understand."
The couple made the announcement of their second kid's impending arrival only a few months after bringing their first child together.
They are overjoyed, and I couldn't think of a greater Christmas present for the two of them and for little Sam, Richards' agent Chuck James told PEOPLE.
Richards filed for divorce from her spouse of nearly three years when six months pregnant with their second child, alleging "irreconcilable disagreements."
In a statement to PEOPLE, Sheen's spokesman said, "We are profoundly saddened by the recent events and we ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time out of love and care for our daughter Sam, our unborn child, and one other."
Lola Rose Sheen was born to Richards on June 1, 2005, when she was divorcing Sheen.
The parents released a statement in which they declared their joy at finally seeing their lovely daughter.
Richards' acquaintance, though, claimed to PEOPLE that the duo was not dating. "He desired to be present. She also approved of it "the source stated. However, they are not reconciling.
The parents were considering a road to reconciliation despite their upcoming divorce weeks after welcoming their second child together.
"Things are much better," Sheen said to Extra, "and I suppose with that (comes) hope." We are not excluding anything.
According to a source who spoke to PEOPLE, Richards also appeared amenable to reunion "She had no desire to divorce. She had always thought they could patch things up."
Richards and Sheen began the new year by transferring custody of their divorce to a private arbitrator. According to a representative for the mother of two, "Denise is pushing through with divorce procedures."
A source close to the former couple also told PEOPLE, "I don't think this relationship (between Richards and Sheen) is going to work."
The former couple, who had been seeking to get a divorce for more than a year, released a joint statement addressing the status of their relationship in an effort to be more cordial with one another.
Denise and Charlie stated that they were cooperating with the courts to quietly settle their disagreements with regard to their children. "They continue to put up their best efforts in this area and aim to address this issue outside of the public sphere."
In November 2006, Sheen and Richards were allowed to legally wed new partners nearly two years after the divorce papers were first filed. The final wealth distribution and child custody arrangement were still being worked out, thus the divorce was not yet legally over.
Richards and musician Richie Zambora were dating at the time, while Sheen was seeing Brooke Mueller.
In July 2007, PEOPLE reported that Sheen and Mueller, an actress and real estate mogul, were engaged. In June 2006, the pair first appeared together.
PEOPLE said that Richards and Mueller were seen together a few weeks before getting engaged. A friend of Richards previously told PEOPLE that "Denise wants her to feel comfortable." With a message expressing her gratitude that Brooke makes their father so happy, she put together a bag filled with toys for her and the girls (Lola and Sam).
Richards accused her ex-husband and asked the court to stop Sheen from seeing their kids overnight and to safeguard the kids from him.
According to Richards, the Two and a Half Men actor engaged in "inappropriate behavior... and conduct, According to court documents obtained by Access Hollywood, this includes "his interest to minor ladies and his sexual explicitness on the internet, including revealing his private parts.
The mother of my children clearly has no interest in proper co-parenting when it comes to my connection with our girls, Sheen responded in a statement.
Richards did not attend the wedding, although she did acknowledge a month beforehand that her girls would be present. Sheen married Mueller on May 30, 2008, at a private residence in Los Angeles.
The newlyweds welcomed twin boys named Max and Bob in March 2009. But in November 2010, Sheen and Mueller did file for divorce.
In a slew of deleted comments from Father's Day, Sheen launched a vicious Twitter assault against ex-wife Richards, calling her a "heretic washed-up piglet Shame dump" and other derogatory terms.
"Denise Richards is the worst mother alive and a horrible piece of sh—! A disgusting liar who sucks ISI's ass, "He composed.
A few hours later, he added, "I have paid her kaly-vinnik leaking diaper over 30 Mil and she labels me a DbD (dead beat dad)." "See you in court, you terrible terrorist sack of garbage," the judge said.
Richards filed a $1.2 million lawsuit against her ex-husband for allegedly failing to fulfill his obligation to support their two kids financially.
Sheen reportedly kicked Richards and their kids out of a residence he owned that was close to his Beverly Hills home, according to legal documents the actress filed. The filed paperwork also claimed that Sheen broke his commitment to Richards and his girls by failing to give them the money they needed to buy a new house.
Sheen's lawyer Martin Singer said in a statement to PEOPLE that Denise Richards "is not pleased that she has gotten $660,000 tax-free per year for over 10 years." In addition to the roughly $10 million she has gotten from Charlie during their brief marriage, "it is not enough money for her."
The actress reacted by posting on Twitter, "As the trustee, Marty Singer, you need to assist a mother who is fighting to preserve it for the kids. Their money, not mine or your client's, is at stake."
In September 2018, Richards and Phypers' engagement was exclusively confirmed by PEOPLE. According to a source, "Now that Aaron's divorce is officially over, he and Denise would love to be married as soon as possible. It has taken a while for the engagement to happen. He moved behind his previous relationship a long time ago, and being married to Denise represents a happy beginning for each of them in various but equally important ways."
