EXCLUSIVE: Denise Richards' 'Final Straw' With 'Scary' Ex-Husband Aaron Phypers Revealed... as 'RHOBH' Star Is 'Relieved' Toxic Marriage Is Over
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers are in the throes of a bitter divorce.
Nov. 25 2025, Published 2:10 p.m. ET
Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers are still in the throes of a bitter divorce.
In the wake of their back-and-forth drama, a Hollywood insider exclusively dished to RadarOnline.com what went down leading up to the divorce and some major misconceptions that have been put out regarding Richards in the press along the way.
Denise Richards' Breaking Point in Her Marriage to Aaron Phypers
Once Phypers allegedly 'hit her' when she was recovering from surgery, an insider said Richards felt there was 'no coming back.'
As Richards testified in court, the insider explained she was recovering from a surgery when Phypers allegedly "hit her."
"To her, this was the breaking point in her marriage that there was no coming back from, and she knew it wasn't fixable," the source explained. "She also broke down in court during this testimony. It was very upsetting to her, and anyone witnessing her testimony could tell the amount of pain she was in."
Before the final straw, the insider detailed Richards had given Phypers some conditions that "would need to take place" for them to remain together, including him attending anger management, but he is said to have not complied. This, coupled with him hurting her while she was recovering from surgery, made her feel "there just was no moving forward."
Denise Richards 'Had Enough'
Richards planned on leaving Phypers after she recovered from a second surgery.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum had one more surgical procedure she had to recover from, and the insider noted, she planned on splitting with him after she was fully recuperated so that she didn't need to stress herself out anymore during an already tough time.
"The weekend of the 4th of July, he was acting manic all weekend, and both he and his dad threatened to put pictures of Denise on the Internet," the source claimed. "At this point, she'd truly had enough and texted his mom saying it’s probably for the best they get a divorce and that if he didn’t stay away from her, she was going to file a restraining order.
"Aaron thought he was going to have the upper hand and pulled the trigger by filing for divorce first. His family likely was convincing him to do this as they figured he’d probably qualify for spousal support."
How Did Denise Richards Find Out Aaron Phypers Filed for Divorce?
Phypers was 'begging for' Richards back, a source spilled.
As for how Richards found out she was getting divorced, the insider divulged she found out "from the internet."
"She had planned to wait to file till she was recovered from surgery, but, again, he went ahead and did it, likely thinking this would intimidate her," the source spilled. "Denise was annoyed she had to deal with this while she was recovering from surgery, but it was ultimately going to happen anyway."
At that point, stories "started appearing in the press insisting she was 'blindsided' by the divorce and wanted him back," the insider claimed; however, it seems that may not have been accurate.
"Aaron was the one begging for her back, having realized the grave mistake he had made in filing for divorce from her," the insider alleged. "Furthermore, he was starting to realize that without her by his side, the gravy train for him and his family was running out, and he wouldn’t have anyone – aka Denise – to pay his bills. He depended on Denise's finances to survive and, once she was out of the marriage, he didn't have that anymore."
Denise Richards 'Was Scared' of Aaron Phypers
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Richards has accused Phypers of abuse.
The Wild Things actress, for her part, was "relieved the marriage was over," the insider confirmed.
"She hadn't pulled the plug before because she was scared of him, as evidenced by her court testimony and the things she accused him of doing," the source claimed. "She had no idea that he was going to start trying to flip the narrative and put things out about her that couldn’t be farther from the truth."
To date, Richards and Phypers' divorce battle remains ongoing with no clear end in sight.
Richards recently scored a victory over Phypers, though, when a judge granted her a five-year restraining order against him.
