Denise Richards shares why she revealed getting a facelift

Denise Richards says she decided to talk openly about her facelift because her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, brought it up in court.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 55, explained the decision on The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show, a new podcast hosted by Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg. 

“My ex that I’m divorcing, he said something in court about it on purpose,” Richards said. 

Read more: Denise Richards shares facelift transformation details

She was pleasantly surprised, she added, because media were in the courtroom and didn’t print it. 

She said she didn’t want to give him that power, and that she is glad she has been open about it.

Richards had the operation in June 2025, around 10 days before Phypers filed for divorce on 7 July of that year, citing irreconcilable differences. 

It included a deep-plane facelift, a temporal brow lift, an eyelid lift, a lip corner lift and fat transfer. 

The Daily Mail has reported the facelift cost around $200,000. 

It was the first cosmetic surgery she had on her face. She shared before-and-after photos with Allure in March, saying she was terrified and that “a facelift is not something that I could hide”.

She told Allure that Phypers told someone the facelift was botched, which she called ridiculous, and that a photographer turned up outside a scar-treatment appointment. 

Richards later obtained a temporary restraining order accusing Phypers of domestic violence. 

He has denied the allegations, saying he has “never physically or emotionally abused Denise, or anyone”. 

Page Six reported that a judge ordered Phypers last month to pay her $25,762, including sanctions, after finding he hadn’t properly answered written questions from her legal team.

Elsewhere in the interview, Richards said she wishes she had never visited the wellness center Phypers ran, where the couple first got to know each other.

Read more: Denise Richards drops bombshells about exes Aaron Phypers, Charlie Sheen