For a brief moment in the late 1990s, Denise Richards was one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actresses.
She broke out in “Starship Troopers,” grabbed headlines with “Wild Things,” and then landed one of the most high-profile roles imaginable, starring opposite Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Christmas Jones in the 1999 James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough,” arguably the dumbest movie in the franchise (in a good bad way).
At the time, she looked like a future A-list mainstay. But that trajectory didn’t quite hold.
Denise is now in the middle of a contentious divorce from Aaron Phypers, and at the center of the dispute is one thing: money. Specifically, how much she earns, how much she actually has access to, and how much she should be paying in spousal support. The two sides could not be further apart. Phypers claims Denise pulls in as much as $300,000 per month from OnlyFans alone. Meanwhile, in court this week, Denise told a judge she “can’t afford” a court-ordered $5,000 monthly payment.
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As the years went on, Richards’ personal life began to overshadow her acting career, and her time as a leading Hollywood actress cooled off. Much of that shift can be traced to her highly publicized marriage and divorce from Charlie Sheen.
The two married in 2002 and divorced in 2006, a period marked by legal battles, custody disputes, and constant tabloid attention. They have two daughters together, Sami Sheen and Lola, who are now adults. In 2011, Richards also adopted a third daughter, Eloise, as a single parent.
If you assume Richards walked away from that marriage with a massive, life-changing settlement, that apparently was not the case. In fact, she has claimed the opposite.
Aaron later adopted Eloise, and for a few years, things appeared stable. Richards’ career even saw a modest resurgence. From 2019 to 2022, she appeared in 188 episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful.” In 2025, she, Aaron, and her three children starred in the Bravo reality series “Denise Richards & Her Wild Things.”
Unfortunately, all was not well in the Richards-Phypers household. In July 2025, just months after their reality series ended, Phypers filed for divorce.
Eviction, a GoFundMe, and 36 Dogs + 5 Cats
In 2018, Richards sold her longtime Hidden Hills home for $4.75 million. In the years that followed, she and Phypers rented properties in the same general area.
In June 2020, the couple signed a lease on a large mansion in Calabasas. By late 2025, that arrangement had unraveled in dramatic fashion.
In December 2025, their landlord initiated eviction proceedings after the couple allegedly fell behind on rent. At various points, the unpaid balance was reported to be as high as $84,000, eventually ballooning to roughly $125,000. Additional reported liabilities included around $10,000 in HOA fees, $13,000 in gas bills, $12,000 in electricity charges, and several thousand dollars in overdue waste services.
Richards later claimed she had moved out of the home roughly two years earlier, though her name reportedly remained on the lease.
Then, in January 2026, the situation took an even stranger turn.
Phypers’ mother launched a GoFundMe campaign seeking financial assistance, describing a chaotic and unsustainable living situation. In the fundraiser, she claimed:
“I was brought in to hold a collapsing home together — 36 dogs, 5 cats, endless responsibilities, all hidden from the landlord. I spent my small pension on vet bills, food, and care because no one else would. My son Brett and I were put in impossible, unlawful situations to cover for fraud we never created.”
Mysterious OnlyFans Earnings
One of the biggest bones of contention in their divorce is Denise’s OnlyFans earnings. Aaron has claimed in filings that Denise makes, on average, $200,000 – $300,000 per month from the platform. That would amount to $2.4 million to $3.6 million per year. The same filing claimed that her monthly expenses amount to an estiamted $100,000. Even if we use the low range of her earnings estimate, that would still leave around $100,000 per month in money to spend.
Phypers has argued that he is entitled to a share of that income, claiming he contributed directly by photographing much of the content that appears on her OnlyFans page. The question of who owns and controls that content, and the revenue it generates, remains unresolved.
Which brings us to the most recent twist.
At a court hearing this week, a judge ordered Richards to pay $5,000 per month in temporary spousal support, along with $30,000 in attorney’s fees. Her reaction drew immediate attention. According to reports from inside the courtroom, Richards muttered, “I can’t afford it.”
During the same proceedings, Denise claimed she did not have any investments other than some retirement accounts set up by her business managers when she was in her 20s that she can’t seem to locate.
All of these uncertainties could be settled if Denise simply provided an actual accounting of her real income. Maybe Aaron’s estimate of Denise’s OnlyFans earnings is way off? I believe that should happen in a future filing, and if it does, we will report back!
