Denise Richards has shared her perspective on her daughter Sami Sheen's relationship with her father, Charlie Sheen, suggesting that Sami is the most likely of his children to stand up to him.
During a recent appearance on the "Dumb Blonde" podcast hosted by Bunnie Xo, Richards agreed with Xo's observation that Sami, 22, is "kind of Charlie's karma in a way." Richards elaborated, stating that out of all of Sheen's children, Sami "gives him a run for his money" and "stands up to him the most."
Richards expressed admiration for Sami's confidence and willingness to be herself, although she occasionally wishes her daughter would filter her words more. "I'd rather her be the way she is. She's not afraid to be who she is and that's something that I really admire in her," Richards said.
Richards and Sheen, who were married from 2002 to 2006, share two daughters: Sami, born in 2004, and Lola, born in 2005. Richards noted that her daughters are complete opposites. While Sami has found success as a model on OnlyFans and promotes her content online, Lola, 21, is vocal about her Christian faith on social media.
Reflecting on Sami and Lola's childhood, Richards explained that she often had to shield her daughters from the realities of their father's public struggles with substance abuse. She stated her desire for her daughters to hear the truth directly from Charlie when they are ready. "I do think that there should come a time where they should really talk to their dad because so much happened when they were growing up," Richards said.
She recalled instances where she had to protect Charlie's image, even lying to their daughters about his absences during holidays. "I wasn't gonna tell them the truth. How do you tell this to little girls? What's really going on?" Richards asked, adding that she wanted to protect them from potential judgment and their own fragility.
Despite the highly public nature of her divorce from Sheen and their subsequent ups and downs, Richards emphasized her commitment to ensuring her daughters maintained a relationship with their father. "During our divorce, which was so public, I wanted the girls to have their relationship with him without, you know, any negativity around it," she said. "I wanted them to know their dad as dad, not as Charlie Sheen, because there was many years where I didn't know if he was gonna be here."
Richards encouraged her daughters to spend time with Sheen whenever he was in a stable condition and consistently avoided speaking negatively about him in front of them. "And I didn't want the kids to only know about their father from what they were gonna read about him," she stated.
Two decades after their divorce, Richards described her current relationship with Sheen as positive. "Charlie's very... we have a great relationship. He lives close to us actually, and his boys live with him right now," she said. "He respects me and I respect him too. And I want only the best for him and want him to do well."
She concluded by affirming her continued support for Sheen and the importance of maintaining their relationship for the sake of their daughters.