EXCLUSIVE Worrying sign Aaron and Denise's marriage was toxic as insider reveals what it was really like on their reality show
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum, 54, requested a temporary restraining order from Phypers, 52, after detailing graphic instances of alleged abuse in a court-ordered protection filed Thursday and granted the same day.
Her estranged husband has since denied all allegations of abuse, while a source close to Phypers told the Daily Mail that her black eye was actually the result of a drunken fall.
However, it seems the former couple's marriage was plagued with red flags years before Phypers filed for divorce.
According to insiders who worked on Richards' reality TV series, Phypers had a 'manipulative' tendency to act supportive of his wife on camera, only to turn against her once filming wrapped.
During their short-lived Bravo reality series Denise Richards & Her Wild Things – which also starred her daughters Sami, 21, Lola, 19, and Eloise, 13 – the couple would act 'intense' and 'passive aggressive' towards each other, so much so they'd even go on their phones in separate rooms when cameras were down.
'You could cut tension with a knife sometimes,' one source told the Daily Mail.
Filming the show was made especially difficult the morning after one of their fights, as Richards and Phypers 'wouldn't speak to each other off camera' and if they did, there was always an edge.
The insider recalled one moment in which Richards had flubbed a scene, and Phypers responded by shaking his head and muttering 'menopause' under his breath.
It was Phypers' belittling comments towards his wife that made crew members particularly uncomfortable, the source said.
Although the businessman had 'decided that his character was going to be very supportive of Denise' on camera, they explained that his demeanor off camera was anything but.
In fact, they said he appeared to be 'very threatened' by her success and stardom, as if he was 'trying to prove that he was superior' to his wife.
After all, it was Richards who was the Hollywood icon, and she had already served two seasons on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
'Aaron walked around as if he was the biggest star on the planet when we were filming,' a second source told the Daily Mail.
Their intense dynamic was on display in a chilling clip from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that has resurfaced in the wake of Richards' abuse allegations.
During the unsettling incident from season 10, which was filmed in 2020, Phypers was caught threatening Richards following a confrontation with her co-stars Kyle Richards and Teddi Mellencamp.
The hot mic moment caught Richards telling her partner not to 'say a f*****g word' as they walked off hand-in-hand following the dispute, to which Phypers responded: 'Don't tell me what to say. I'm going to crush your f*****g hand. Stop it.'
Richards departed from the series following season ten, though she made several cameos in later seasons. Her spin-off show, Denise Richards & Her Wild Things, premiered on Bravo in March this year but ended after one season.
In her court filing obtained by the Daily Mail, Richards claimed that her estranged husband's father had joined in on the alleged abuse during a July 4 confrontation at her temporary residence.
She claimed that Phypers had showed up at her studio townhouse, where she was staying after moving out of their shared home in late 2023, and demanded her phone.
'He called me a 'c*** w****' multiple times and violently hit the bill of my hat with the back of his hand, causing it to fly off my head,' Richards said.
She said his father, Steven Phypers, joined in – yelling that he would tell the media she was a 'w****' and expose the contents of her phone.
Richards added in the court document that she was 'scared, terrified and fearful for my life.'
Among the allegations in her request for a retraining order included claims that Phypers regularly threatened to choke her, squeeze her head and arms with both arms, 'violently slap me in my face and head' and allegedly 'threaten to kill' her.
The most recent instances allegedly occurred between July 4 and July 14.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Phypers addressed Richards' allegations of abuse, calling them 'completely false and deeply hurtful'.
'I want to address recent rumors and speculation that have surfaced regarding my relationship with my wife, Denise Richards,' he said.
'Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise – or anyone.
'These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. 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. 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.'
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