Denise Richards Says She Convinced Charlie Sheen to Star in ‘Two and a Half Men’ Instead of Another Show

Denise Richards is opening up about her past relationship with her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen. 

The 52-year-old actress was married to the 58-year-old actor from 2002 to 2006 and they share two daughters: 19-year-old Sami Sheen and 18-year-old Lola. Richards is also mom to 12-year-old Eloise with husband Aaron Phypers, while Sheen is dad to 38-year-old Cassandra with Paula Profit and 14-year-old twin sons, Bob and Max, with ex Brooke Mueller.

On a recent episode of the Just B with Bethenny Frankel podcast, Richards said that it was she who convinced Sheen to take on the role of Charlie Harper on CBS’ Two and a Half Men, which earned him several Golden Globe and Emmy nominations. He was on the hit sitcom, which also starred Angus T. Jones and Jon Cryer, from 2003 to 2011 before he was fired after making a series of controversial remarks about the show’s co-creator, Chuck Lorre. 

“He got Two and a Half Men while I was pregnant [with Sami],” she recalled to host Bethenny Frankel. “He was nervous about starting a new TV show after Spin City got canceled. By the way, I read the script for [Two and a Half Men] and said, ‘You have to do this show.'”

In fact, Richards said Sheen had his sights on another program. “He was going to do a different show. And I read the script for [Two and a Half Men] and I go, ‘You’re crazy for not doing this.'”

As for why the “wheels fell off” on their relationship, Richards told Frankel, “I think because the success of Two and a Half Men and the money, I think that led to him getting back into not being sober.”

The actress was adamant not to speak on her ex-husband’s behalf, but did add, “All I know is he was no longer the person that I married and no longer sober.”

Richards recalled filing for divorce from Sheen when she was six months pregnant with Lola. “It wasn’t like I moved out and we had a little separation,” she explained, noting that her parents, Joni and Irv, “liked Charlie and were very supportive of us being married and getting married.”

“Like I said, he was very different than what the public saw when he spiraled after all that stuff …when he was fired [from Two and a Half Men],” Richards said.

Noting of how immediate there split really was, Richards disclosed, “When I filed, basically [Charlie] went to work, I packed a suitcase and took our daughter [Sami], who is not even one, and went to the Beverly Hills Hotel. I went to file for divorce and then went to a fitting for a pilot I was doing.”

The actress admitted that she was “shocked” that their split “was so public.”

“We were on the covers of tabloids for a couple of years. It was insane,” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum recollected. “That was very difficult for me. …To have the mudslinging as well, I just wanted us to shut the f**k up and go through it. …He was on the hottest show ever and they wanted to protect him.”

As for the financial ramifications of their divorce, Richards told Frankel, “I spent a f**king fortune on legal fees. I spent millions. It’s a lot.”

The actress revealed that she did not have a prenup with Sheen but said she “didn’t go after half of the Two and a Half Men” fortune. 

“I was with him during all of that,” she shared, noting that tabloids portrayed her as a “gold digger” during her divorce. “But by the way I could have, rightfully so, and I think I would have deserved every f**king penny with what I had to deal with. The money was the last thing we dealt with. It was more about the custody [of our daughters] and all of that stuff.”

Now Sheen and Richards’ daughter, Sami, is starting to get her own star power with her OnlyFans page. And while Richards has an OnlyFans account of her own, she told Frankel that she has not seen her daughter’s content.

“I’ve never been on her page,” Richards said, noting that her daughter initially received backlash for her OnlyFans, despite not going topless when she first started. “Sometimes it’s weird for me to even go on my kids’ Instagram.”

For more on Sheen and Richards’ family, check the links below.

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