EXCLUSIVE: Why Denise Richards Did Not Return to 'RHOBH' Season 15 Full Time... as Star's Bitter Divorce With Aaron Phypers Plays Out in Real Time
Denise Richards appears in 'a few episodes' of 'RHOBH' Season 15.
Dec. 3 2025, Published 5:05 p.m. ET
Denise Richards will be making appearances on the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but RadarOnline.com has learned why she is not a full-time cast member.
Richards is currently in the throes of a bitter divorce from Aaron Phypers, and, while it would seem Bravo cameras would want to capture the drama in real time, there is a concrete reason they did not.
Richards Filmed a Few Episodes for 'RHOBH' Season 15
Richards was 'never intended' to be full time on 'RHOBH' Season 15.
Radar spoke to multiple insiders who confirmed Richards' Denise Richards and Her Wild Things spin-off was a major factor in why the actress was not full-time.
"Denise had her show, Denise and Her Wild Things, airing on Bravo. When her show didn’t get renewed, Bravo saw things unfolding in her personal life and decided to put her in for a few episodes of RHOBH," one source claimed.
Another insider clarified that, regardless of Richards filming a few episodes, she was "never intended" to be full-time on the upcoming Season 15 of the show.
Could Richards Return to 'RHOBH' as a Full Time Cast Member?
The reality star is open to returning to 'RHOBH' in a full time capacity, an insider revealed..
Once source pointed out Richards will be "very open" about the "tumultuous situation" surrounding her divorce, as was "seen in the trailer."
Just because Richards isn't full-time this season doesn't mean fans won't get the chance to see her in that capacity in the future, according to one source.
"As far as next season goes, if the opportunity were to present, Denise conveyed at BravoCon she would be open to returning," the insider noted.
What Was Richards' Final Straw With Aaron Phypers?
Richards knew her marriage 'wasn't fixable,' a source previously shared.
As Radar previously reported, Richards' "breaking point" in her marriage to Phypers occurred when he allegedly "hit her" while she was recovering from surgery.
"There was no coming back from [this], and she knew it wasn't fixable," a 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 claimed 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, along with him hurting her while she was recovering from surgery, made her feel "there just was no moving forward."
How Did Richards Find Out She Was Getting a Divorce?
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Aaron Phypers was 'acting manic' during the fourth of July weekend, an insider alleged.
Richards had planned her escape from Phypers to be after she was recovering from a second surgery so that she didn't need to stress herself out anymore during an already tough time, but things did not work out according to her plan, the source divulged.
"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 insider 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."
"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," they elaborated. "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."
