Denise Richards is a Hollywood bombshell on-screen. But off-screen, her personal life is a mess. Her two marriages ended amid major scandals and accusations. Her relationships with her two older daughters have been tense in recent years. The actress finally broke her silence for the first time on her ex’s “tiger blood” scandal and relapse. Keep reading for all the details.
Denise Richards Breaks Silence On Ex’s ‘Tiger Blood’ Scandal & Relapse
Denise Richards recently lost one of the greatest loves of her life. Her friend and former boyfriend, Patrick Muldoon, unexpectedly passed away in April 2026. She recently revealed that her close bond with him was a “deal-breaker” in her romantic relationships. However, her friendship with the soap star didn’t seem to play a role in the end of either of her two marriages.
She married actor Charlie Sheen in 2002, two years after meeting on the set of Good Advice. She filed for divorce in 2005 when she was pregnant with their second child, Lola. They also share an older daughter, Sami. The actress adopted a third daughter, Eloise, in 2011.
Her second husband, Aaron Phypers, legally adopted the young girl during his short-lived marriage to Denise Richards. He shockingly filed for divorce in 2025 after six years. Their divorce battle has been marked with abuse claims on both sides.
Charlie Sheen was the “bad boy” of Hollywood. But Denise Richards denied that she reformed him. She revealed during an appearance on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast that the actor was sober when they met and fell in love. “The person I met had been sober for four and a half years, went to AA, was very focused and just a very calm, nurturing person. That’s who I fell in love with,” she said.
His Downfall & Firing From Sitcom
However, by 2011, Charlie Sheen was no longer sober. He was struggling with the demands of the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. That year, he made headlines for his shocking claim on 20/20 that he had “tiger blood” running through his veins. He was fired a few months later from the show after insulting Chuck Lorre, a co-creator and executive producer of the sitcom.
According to Denise Richards, a lot of people turned a blind eye to Charlie Sheen’s relapse and drug use because of the show’s popularity and revenue stream. “It was actually a shame, the people around him, because he was on such a hit show, made a boatload of money and… they almost in a weird way enabled it,” she said.
Denise Richards added, “His security would often call me to help him because they would get fired if they knocked on his bedroom door. He was just so bad.”
Where She Stands With Charlie Sheen Now
Charlie Sheen has been sober since 2017. He detailed his drug addiction in the Netflix docuseries, aka Charlie Sheen. Denise Richards was interviewed for the documentary. Bunnie Xo told the actress that the documentary made it seem like there was still love between the exes.
Denise Richards revealed where they stand now. “We’re friends. I mean, do you know what I mean? I can’t talk to him the way I can talk to some other friends of mine. And I love him. I always have love for him being their dad. But as far as romantic love, no. Not at all,” she said.
She revealed that Charlie Sheen lives nearby and has a great relationship with their two daughters. “I want only the best for him and want him to do well. He knows if he needs anything, I’m here. I think it’s important for us, always, to maintain a relationship. We have daughters,” she said.
Charlie Sheen revealed in 2015 that he contracted HIV. However, he denied it was from drug use and instead claimed it was from unprotected sexual activity with multiple partners.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger