From a contentious divorce to custody battles to social media surprises, actress Denise Richards and her three daughters have weathered many storms through the years. Now the women are allowing viewers a peek into their chaotic family life with a new reality show: “Denise Richards & Her Wild Things.”
“Being a parent in the public eye and in Hollywood is really hard,” Richards said in the show’s trailer. “I’m trying to just keep the family together and these girls make it so f------ hard.”
Richards has two daughters (Sami and Lola) with former husband Charlie Sheen, to whom Richards was married from 2002 to 2006, and she adopted a third (Eloise) after their divorce. Richards married Aaron Phypers in 2018 and he formally adopted Eloise the following year.
The new show, which premieres on Bravo March 4, is not Richards’ first brush with reality TV. The actress and model also appeared on E! for her show “Denise Richards: It’s Complicated,” and was part of the cast of Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Phypers and the girls appeared onscreen with her as well.
But with her new show, Richards' family life is taking center stage.
Sami Sheen (March 9, 2004)
Sami, Richards' oldest, has had a roller coaster of a relationship with her mother through the years.
In early 2022, Richards said that Sami, who was 17 at the time, had been having a hard time adjusting to her house rules and opted to live with dad Charlie Sheen.
“Honestly, I have a strained relationship with her and it’s very difficult,” Richards said on SiriusXM’s Jeff Lewis Live.
Just a few months later, Sami posted a sweet message on Instagram in honor of Mother’s Day. She also shared a slideshow of her smiling and goofing around with Richards.
Richards commented, “Thank you Sami for an amazing Mother’s Day. It means a lot to me.”
In mid-2022, Sami joined OnlyFans, which initially shocked Richards and Sheen. Eventually, Richards also joined the platform.
“I really wanted to get an apartment and I knew that working at the candy shop I was working at wasn’t going to cut it,” Sami told People. “So I went to the next best thing and made an OnlyFans.”
For Sami’s 20th birthday in 2024, Richards posted some sweet throwback photos of her daughter along with a caption that read, “You’re as beautiful inside & have been a wise soul since the day you were born. I love you so much and I’m beyond grateful & blessed to be your mom.”
Lola Rose Sheen (June 1, 2005)
Richards filed for divorce from Sheen when she was six months pregnant with their second daughter, Lola Rose Sheen.
Lola is quite different than older sister, Sami. Her Instagram bio states that Lola was “saved by His Grace,” and she has a podcast titled “Heavenly Bonded” that is “all about Jesus.” She enjoys country music and horseback riding.
“We couldn’t be more different,” Sami told People about sister Lola.
“I love her,” Lola said of Sami in the same interview. “We are just walking in completely different paths and that’s OK.”
Eloise Joni Richards (May 2011)
Eloise Richards was born in May 2011 and Richards adopted her the following month.
Shortly after, Richards discussed the new addition to the family with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford in Studio 1A.
“I’ve always wanted more children and just made the decision to do it on my own,” said Richards.
When Richards noticed that baby Eloise wasn't hitting her milestones within the typical age range, she reached out for professional help. In 2016 Eloise was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal abnormality.
“It was a very difficult thing to diagnose, she went through a lot,” Richards said of Eloise on the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Season 9 reunion. “It’s caused many delays with her and it’s caused a lot with speech, development.”
In fact, Eloise was 9 before she said the word “dad” to Aaron Phypers ... just in time for Father’s Day that year.
Now 13, Eloise is “a bright light,” Richards told People in February 2025. “She is always happy. Everyone loves being around her. The girls are so amazing with her.” Though Richards says that her daughter is very observant, she “is primarily considered nonverbal.”
“I like to do our makeup and we played tennis not too long ago, and we like to go shopping,” Sami said of Eloise in the same interview. “She likes to babysit all my animals for me. We get our nails done together too. We do everything together.”
