Age, family, projects? Why Denise Richards quit ‘Real Housewives’

Denise Richards is done with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The actress announced her departure from the series after rumors that she cheated on her husband with fellow cast member Brandi Glanville. She denied the rumors, but the growing rift between her and the cast proved too toxic for the actress to deal with.

Glanville dropped a bombshell when she claimed that she and Richards had an affair during season 10 of Real Housewives. The reality star stated that they made out in a public restroom the night they met and continued to hook up in subsequent months. 

“Denise was literally texting me every single day,” Glanville told Page Six. “‘I’m in your neighborhood, can I just come over? I need to see you.’ I said, ‘Well, I can meet you for a drink, I can meet you at dinner.’ I just didn’t want to be alone with her, because I felt that she had a lot of dude energy, like she really wanted me.”

Cheating scandal

Glanville believed that Richards was simply looking for a good time. “I felt she wanted to hit it and quit it,” she added. “She was very sexually aggressive and once she got what she wanted, she didn’t want to know. I really didn’t think it was going to be as huge as it is. It’s literally everywhere.”

Richards, who’s been married to Aaron Phypers since 2018, denied the allegations. “I did not have an affair,” she told People Magazine. “There’s definitely consistency with the subject matter that comes up on this Housewives season, and that’s all I’ll say. If I had an open marriage, I would be open about it.”

Cast member drama

The rumored affair caused issues with the rest of the Real Housewives cast. Richards skipped out on Teddi Mellencamp’s baby shower and the finale party during season 10. “She had already addressed the Brandi drama and she knew it was going to be brought back up again,” a source told People. “She had no desire to be a part of [the finale].”

Richards then sent cease and desist letters to the cast to prevent them from discussing the affair during the show. Co-star Lisa Rinna criticized Richards’ legal tactics on her Instagram Story, claiming that the cease and desist sapped all of the interest out of the Real Housewives reunion show. “Reunion was bulls–t today,” she wrote. “I’ve never said that in six years. I guess cease and desists work.”

Salary disputes

Richards’ soured reputation was a big reason for her departure, but it wasn’t the only reason. Page Six reported that the actress was growing increasingly aware of her age, and felt that she was not being paid enough given her past success. She wanted to renegotiate her contract before season 11 was underway, her inability to reach an agreement with Bravo proved to be the final nail in the coffin.

A network source claimed that Richards was asking for an “excessive” amount of money to return. “People think that she didn’t want to come back and that it’s because she got ‘mean-girled’ [by other cast members],” they told Page Six. “The truth is she did want to come back. But [Bravo] didn’t want to pay her what she asked for. It was way out of her pay grade.”

Parting ways

Real Housewives producer Andy Cohen confirmed the issue during an appearance on PeopleTV’s Reality Check. He admitted to being “saddened” by Richards’ departure, but felt there was no way to reconcile her disagreements with the network.

“We were negotiating a deal with her and we couldn’t reach an agreement on the deal,” Cohen stated. “I’m just sad we couldn’t reach an agreement for next season, I’m kind of living in that sadness. She’s answering her truth, she has a family and kids.”