Aaron Phypers, the estranged husband of actress Denise Richards, allowed Inside Edition into a Southern California rental he says Richards left abandoned and in “total disarray,” showing rooms piled with clothes, stained floors and what he described as moth-damaged vintage garments.
Phypers, 52, toured the $3.5 million rental property and told the program there were drawers and dressers covered in trash and dust, a child’s room with stuffed animals scattered about and a bathroom counter cluttered with opened toiletries. Phypers said Richards left behind 15 dogs and called the condition of the house "something," suggesting it might be hoarding but stopping short of a formal diagnosis.
Richards, a former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and actress, has disputed Phypers’ account in court filings, saying she has not lived in the rental for two years and alleging that Phypers and his family "severely damaged the property and left the house in a state of disarray." In earlier filings obtained by Page Six, Richards told the court she moved out and that Phypers agreed to be responsible for rent beginning in January, an obligation she says he failed to meet, prompting eviction proceedings against him and his family.
Phypers, who filed for divorce in July after six years of marriage, said in the Inside Edition segment that claims he was abusive are untrue and suggested Richards’ allegations are retaliatory. "She’s upset. I publicly dumped her to the world, and she’s mad, so how does she retaliate? File a bogus abuse claim," he said. Richards has accused Phypers of abuse; the allegations are part of an ongoing, contentious court battle.
Phypers and his parents and brother are living in the lower level of the property, he said. Richards has told the court she is seeking to remove personal belongings and the dogs from the residence without violating a restraining order; a judge approved an order allowing Richards to retrieve her pets and possessions on an upcoming Saturday, according to court documents.
During the tour, Phypers pointed to vintage clothing he said was "riddled with moths" and criticized what he described as an accumulation of makeup and toiletries. His mother, appearing on camera, said she once "loved Denise" and "treated her like a daughter," adding she did not understand how the house had come to be in its current state.
Page Six reported that it reached out to Richards’ representatives for comment; Richards’ team did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Inside Edition tour. Representatives for Phypers were also contacted but did not provide additional comment beyond the interview to Inside Edition.
Phypers and Richards were married in 2018 in a beachfront ceremony that was featured on Bravo. The divorce filing, subsequent abuse allegations and disputes over the rental property and the couple’s animals have played out in public filings and media reports in recent months, with both sides making competing claims about who is responsible for the condition of the home and who should be allowed access to pets and personal items.
Court proceedings are ongoing, and the parties have pursued legal remedies related to possession of property, housing payments and the welfare of the dogs. The Inside Edition tour is the latest public development in the couple’s dispute, offering a visual account that contrasts with Richards’ assertion that she has not inhabited the rental for two years and that others are responsible for its condition.