Actress and reality television star Denise Richards marked Halloween by revisiting her well-known Playboy past just days before she is scheduled to return to court in her ongoing legal dispute with estranged husband Aaron Phypers, as reported [1] by Fox News.
Richards, 54, shared photos on social media dressed in a black bodysuit, matching bunny ears, white cuffs, and a black-and-white bow tie — a nod to her December 2004 Playboy cover appearance.
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Nearly 20 years ago, the Wild Things actress posed nude for the magazine only months after giving birth. She later told Jay Leno that her parents and newborn joined her on the shoot in the Bahamas.
“I said, you better find me some fricken bottoms,” Richards recalled, describing how a stylist made impromptu bottoms out of a shammy and island leaves. “I didn’t have to show anything I didn’t want to.”
Watched @rhobh [3] & as the mom of a 10 month old can I just say that it’s detrimental to my health to know the STILL gorgeous @DENISE_RICHARDS [4] took these Playboy photos at 5 months post partum?!?! #help [5] pic.twitter.com/08TiWAsDV8 [6]
— tania “punch nazi’s in the face” gonzalez (@RunTaniaRun) March 2, 2019 [7]
Richards said she had turned down earlier offers from Playboy but accepted the 2004 shoot, believing it was her last opportunity.
“Playboy approached me a couple other times and I didn’t do it, and this time I figured I might as well do it before they never approach me again,” she said, adding that then-husband Charlie Sheen “was really cool about it and helped me pick out the pictures.”
Denise Richards posing for Playboy, December 2004. pic.twitter.com/oD64YykHyl [8]
— Nerds Of X (@NerdsOfX) January 6, 2025 [9]
The actress’s social media post came ahead of a court hearing related to her restraining order against Phypers, from whom she filed for divorce on July 7 citing irreconcilable differences. Richards was granted a temporary restraining order on July 17.
In testimony last month, Richards accused Phypers of repeated physical and emotional abuse, including an incident in May that allegedly occurred hours after she underwent multiple cosmetic surgeries.
“That is when I really, really knew that our marriage was over because there’s been physical abuse, but it kept getting worse and worse,” she said in court. “The fact that he did that to me five hours after coming out of a seven-hour surgery … made me feel a lot of things. Scared and vulnerable.”
Richards alleged that Phypers struck her, grabbed her arms, and called her derogatory names during confrontations. Court filings described additional claims of choking, slapping, and threats.
“Aaron regularly threatened to ‘break my jaw’ and would cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help – none of which ever happened,” she said in the restraining order filing.
During a recent court hearing, Phypers was arrested on spousal abuse charges and escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs. He later filed a petition claiming financial hardship, asserting that Richards cut off access to their joint bank account and took equipment from his holistic business.
Phypers also claimed entitlement to half of Richards’ income from her OnlyFans page, which he estimated at between $200,000 and $300,000 per month, saying he took the photos and therefore held intellectual property rights.
His filing requested half of that revenue and immediate access to $200,000, alleging he is facing eviction and utility shutoffs.
A hearing on both the restraining order and financial matters is expected in the coming weeks.