Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers’ Divorce Gets Messier: He’s Willing to Bring Receipts

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers have spent nearly a decade as a couple, and the latter half of that relationship remained private. It doesn’t look like the same will be true for their divorce. Since Phypers filed for divorce earlier this month, the former flames have been trading barbs online and in the legal world. Richards filed a restraining order, alleging domestic abuse, while Phypers has gone to the media to insist Richards is just mad that he split after he caught her cheating. Phypers claims he has proof that his estranged wife was having an affair.

Aaron Phypers says Denise Richards is a cheater

Aaron Phypers isn’t taking the domestic abuse allegations against him lightly. The former actor and businessman ran to TMZ to tell his side of the story. His chat with the outlet came after he was served with a restraining order. Phypers insists that the black eye his ex-wife has shown off has nothing to do with him. He told the outlet that not only did he not hit Richards, but that she’s the one who blew up the relationship by having an affair.

Phypers, who appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with Richards, claims he found out his wife was cheating on him through a series of texts earlier this year. He claims he and Richards had initially planned to work together to get past the affair. That all changed after an explosive argument on the 4th of July.

An insider told the Daily Mail that the argument was nothing new. Phypers and Richards were described as having a “toxic” relationship filled with blowout fights.

Aaron Phypers says the final fight that led to divorce was over his missing phone

While Phypers admits he learned about Richards’ affair months before he filed for divorce, he says the fight that ultimately led to their split was over his phone. Phypers tells TMZ that he grew angry when Richards refused to tell him where his phone was, only for him to find it “smashed” in a recycling bin after a full day of searching. He theorizes that Richards destroyed his phone to prevent him from accessing screenshots of texts that prove she was cheating.

He went on to tell the outlet that Richards contacted her mother-in-law and said she planned to file for divorce. That conversation, says Phypers, was the final straw. He claims he wanted to be the first to file. The restraining order was issued after Phypers had already filed for divorce in Los Angeles.

Richards has not responded to the allegations of cheating. The divorce could be complicated. It’s unclear if they have a prenuptial agreement, and they do share an adopted daughter. Richards adopted Eloise as a single parent in 2011. Phypers adopted the teen in 2019, a year after he and Richards got married.