Aaron Phypers ‘files for divorce from Denise Richards’
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers have called time on their relationship.
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Denise Richards is accusing her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Aaron Phypers, of years of alleged physical and verbal abuse, filing a temporary restraining order against him this week.
In court documents reviewed by USA TODAY, the longtime Hollywood fixture chronicled the alleged abuse at the hands of Phypers, writing, “Aaron regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw’ and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help — none of which ever happened.”
Richards, 54, wrote in the request to the judge, filed Wednesday, July 16: “Aaron has caused me at least three concussions. Aaron has told me that he has left recording devices to record me while I was alone in hotel rooms and at my townhouses.”
USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Richards for comment.
The pair, who were married in 2018, are mid-divorce after Phypers filed earlier this month.
“Throughout our marriage, Aaron threatened to kill me and himself and the police. He owns at least 8 unregistered guns,” Richards attested in the documents. Several photos are attached at the bottom of the filing, one in which Richards has a black eye, which she claims was the result of Phypers’ abuse.
Richards, who was previously married to fellow actor Charlie Sheen from 2002 to 2007, has been with Phypers, a businessman, for seven years. He appeared sporadically on Bravo reality series “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” during her stint on the show as well as on her solo Bravo series “Denise Richards and Her Wild Things.”
The mom of three and Phypers do not share children together, and the two children Richards shares with Sheen were not mentioned in the restraining order, which the judge partially granted.
Aaron Phypers responds to Denise Richards’ abuse claims
In a July 17 statement to People magazine and Us WeeklyPhypers denied his estranged wife’s claims of physical and emotional abuse, slamming the allegations as “completely false and deeply hurtful.”
“Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise — or anyone,” Phypers told the outlets. “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.”
He added: “I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims.”
Denise Richards details alleged July 4 altercation with Aaron Phypers
Citing a recent instance of abuse, Richards claimed that over the July 4 holiday, Phypers, 49, beat her and broke into her private messages, urging the judge to take into account the seriousness of the attacks and her fear that it would be repeated.
“On July 4, 2025, Aaron repeatedly got within two inches of my face and screamed at me degrading profanities,” Richards wrote. “Aaron repeatedly grabbed my left arm tightly. On July 5, 2025, Aaron came into my townhouse with his father and got within inches of my face and began yelling at me … with his right hand violently hit the bill of my hat with the back of his hand, which caused my hat to fly off my head.
“Later that day, Aaron chased me and grabbed both of my arms forcefully and pushed me and dragged me to the ground. I landed hard on the stairs causing me immense pain,” the filing continues. “Aaron stole my laptop and sent private text messages he had stolen from my laptop without my permission. Aaron threatened that I would ‘disappear’ if I called the police.”
Richards maintained that she had refrained from reporting the abuse earlier for fear that it would result in more damage.
“Until now, I have been afraid to report Aaron to the police or file for a restraining order because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police,” she wrote, adding that that was only one of several threats he would levy if she were to get law enforcement involved.
Later in the documents, Richards alleged that while she was asleep Phypers went into her laptop and downloaded everything from her iCloud account, taking photos of her private text messages and transferring them to his laptop. The “Drop Dead Gorgeous” and “Love Actually” star goes on to claim that Phypers screamed expletives at her, and smashed her over the head while she was on the toilet, demanding that she hand her phone over.
In the order, she is demanding that he have no contact with her, staying away from both her home and workplace and returning the electronic devices she claims he stole.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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