Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen split in 2005 and have been working to raise daughters Sami and Lola together ever since.
Sami arrived in 2004 while the actress was married to the Two and a Half Men alum. Lola was born in 2005 after her parents had called it quits. Richards went on to adopt daughter Eloise in 2011, marryingAaron Phypers seven years later.
As for Sheen, he welcomed twin sons, Bob and Max, with now-ex Brooke Muellerin 2009. Richards briefly had custody of their boys in 2013 while her ex-husband and Mueller struggled with substance abuse.
Since calling it quits, Richards and Sheen have been open about coparenting their daughters — and when they became teenagers it got even more complicated.
Scroll down for a deep dive into Richards and Sheen’s dynamic with Sami and Lola:
"I'll never cut off contact with Charlie,” Richards told Us ahead of a family vacation. "He's my girls' dad. As they're older they'll deal with him how they can."
The former Bravo personality called Richards and Mueller her “family” in an Access Hollywood interview. "Brooke knows, and Charlie, that anytime they need help with the boys, I'm there,” she said. "They're our family, and they're Sami and Lola's brothers. I can't imagine growing up without my sister, so anytime [Brooke] needs help, I'm there for the boys. [Sami and Lola] are the best big sisters to [the boys], and they love them. I know it doesn't seem normal, but it is our normal.”
"My situation with Charlie is that we've gotten along for quite some time now, and it's so much better,” Richards exclusively told Us. "There are a lot of feelings and emotions there, but at the end of the day, our daughters benefit from us getting along, and [I do], too. I don't want to have an unhealthy relationship with him, something toxic with a lot of animosity. Life's too short for that. We actually enjoy hanging out, and we enjoy being with the kids."
The former Bravo personality was “shocked” when one of her daughters brought up her racy Wild Things scene, telling Yahoo! Lifestyle Australia, "A couple of friends had told [one of my daughters] about it and I just said to her, ‘I would appreciate if you didn’t watch it. It’s not age-appropriate.'”
Richards has been “honest” about her past with her children, she said during a “Daddy Issues” podcast episode: "They had heard that I was in Playboy. I didn’t even think that they would know what that is because now kids can go on the internet and see all kinds of things, so [I had] to explain that. They don’t Google [me]. I don’t think they want to know certain things either. I wouldn’t want to read certain things about my parents.”
"There’s a lot that the kids don’t know about their dad, and I want to keep it that way,” the former reality star said during a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills confessional. "Even though he’s Charlie Sheen, that is still, to them, their dad. I never talk badly about him, and I want him to be part of their lives because I met a lot of the women that Charlie entertained and a lot of them had father-daughter issues. And I do not want that to be our girls.”
"Denise set normal rules that any parent would be setting,” the source told Us following Sami’s departure. "She’s a mom and a parent and there are rules. [Sami] didn’t want to follow the rules."
Us confirmed on October 4 that a judge ruled Sheen would no longer have to pay Richards child support. While his attorney told the judge that his client had been overpaying and set up a trust for both Sami and Lola, a source told Us that the actress hadn’t received funds from Sheen in four years. The Bravo alum also wasn’t present at the court hearing.
“She wasn’t there because she is working out of state which Charlie was well aware of and Denise was never served this court date. He did this on purpose,” a source alleged to Us. “He filed two years ago and he kept pushing the court date. Denise kept asking when the date was and he blew her off. He pushed it off because he didn’t want records of the child support he was paying [his ex-wife] Brooke to impact the case after he agreed to pay them both the same amount of child support.”
Sheen, meanwhile, told Us at the time: “I think what transpired today is extremely fair. It speaks to not just today, but it speaks historically to that same fairness.”
“I have a strained relationship with her. It’s very difficult,” the former Bravo star said on the “Jeff Lewis Has Issues” when asked about her daughter Sami. “I know though [that] we’ll get back to where we were, eventually. Right now, it is strained.”
“In a blink of an eye you’re 18,” Richards captioned an Instagram slideshow for Sami's birthday. “Happy Birthday my beautiful Sami. I love you so much. Privately many more words to share with you. I love you unconditionally and I am very blessed and grateful to be your mom. And Nana is looking down celebrating with you. I love you my sweet Sami. Happy 18th Birthday!”
"Happy mother’s day !! i love u so much mom. u have no idea how grateful i am to have u in my life 💗💐🥂," Richards' eldest daughter wrote alongside several Instagram selfies with her mother.
The reality star, for her part, replied, "Thank you Sami for an amazing Mother’s Day. It means a lot to me. I know nana was at dinner with us she would never miss one of her favorite restaurants. 🙏🏻 Thank you & I love you so much❤️."
After news broke that Sami joined OnlyFans, Sheen told Us in an exclusive statement: "She is 18 years old now and living with her mother. This did not occur under my roof. I do not condone this but since I’m unable to prevent it, I urged her to keep it classy, creative and not sacrifice her integrity."
Richards, for her part, pointed to Sami's age as evidence that she's able to make her own decisions about how she spends her time. "Sami is 18, and this decision wasn’t based on whose house she lives in," the Happy Hazel star told Us. "All I can do as a parent is guide her and trust her judgment, but she makes her own choices.”
Richards revealed in October 2023 that she opposed daughter Sami getting breast implants. “I’m trying to talk her out of it, and the reason why I’m getting them out, is I didn’t know how toxic [they are] when I was 19,” Richards told Bustle. “And it’s not an easy surgery. It’s painful!”
One month later, Sami announced via her Instagram Story that she did get the breast implants despite her mom’s concerns.
Richards exclusively told Us all about her new E! series called Denise Richards and the Wild Things, starring all three of her daughters. (She shares Sami and Lola with Sheen, and adopted Eloise in 2011.)
“It’s a big glimpse into our family,” Richards said. “We’re finishing up everything. I’m excited, but I’m also like, ‘Oh my gosh, everyone’s gonna see my family.’”
“It’s been [complicated] from day one and both girls are finding their path in the relationship and that’s OK,” Richards exclusively shared with Us of Sami and Lola’s dynamic with Sheen. “Things can be up and down, but you can always get through it.”
Sami confirmed to Us in a joint interview that her relationship with Sheen is “complicated.” Lola, meanwhile, said that she’s grown closer with her dad in recent years.
“My life is way more enjoyable when we have a relationship because if not, it’s like, I hate having that feeling of not talking,” Lola shared with Us. “Obviously, we go through ups and downs sometimes, but our relationship is good. When I really started to struggle with my mental health, he really helped me because he’s not very emotional so he kind of gets straight to the point, and I think that’s what helped me in moments of anxiety.”
