Welp, it was fun while it lasted! After only two seasons, Denise Richards is leavingThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills — and, naturally, everyone wants to know why. Since news of her early exit broke on Wednesday afternoon, speculation has already begun to spike. What are some of the possible theories about Richards’ decision to bail on RHOBH? Let’s take a look.
It’s worth mentioning that Richards herself supported one of these reasons — so, for now, the other theories remain conjecture. We’ll all have to stay tuned to see if any of these suspicions prove to be true.
She wants time with her family
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Could Richards’ exit be tied to something as simple as a lack of free time? According to People, a source close to the actress insists her sole motivation is hanging out more with her family: husband, Aaron Phypers, and her three daughters, Sam, 16 Lola Rose, 15, and Eloise, 9. “Denise is excited to be home from Spain with her husband and children. Filming in Spain has been wonderful as the only pot being stirred is their incredible Spanish food,” the source said of the family being on location for Richards’ new medieval drama series Glow and Darkness.”
Since Richards already has plenty on her plate, it would make sense that she’d want to disentangle herself from a commitment or two. “The Bold and the Beautiful is her second concurrent acting gig, so she was looking to replace RHOBH with time loving her amazing husband, children and who knows, maybe even friends now,” the source added. “She took her 3 productions down to 2 so now she can enjoy her family more as well.”
Bravo was eyeing someone new
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It’s been a big news week for reality TV since, also on Wednesday, it was revealed Keeping Up With the Kardashians is ending in 2021. Given the timing of the two announcements, it didn’t take long for fans to start spinning out over the idea that KUWTKmomager Kris Jenner might be sliding into Richards’ RHOBH spot. The general consensus? Perhaps Bravo needed to get rid of Richards in order to afford Jenner. She is already friends with cast member Kyle Richards. And she cameo’ed in a July episode when she attended a benefit at her pal’s house.
The idea of Jenner joining RHOBH picked up more steam when Caitlyn Jenner told Access that her ex “would do really well” on the show. “Well, put it this way,” Cait said, “Kris could handle all of those women and some others, yes.”
Brandi Glanville was telling the truth
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ICYMI, ex-HousewifeBrandi Glanville has made some rather detailed allegations about her relationship with Richards over the last year. In fact, just this week, she told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live the story of how she and Richards allegedly hooked up. “The first night I met Denise, we made out in the bathroom. She asked to see my tits, because she said she had to get her boobs redone. We went into the restroom, she threw me against the wall, we were making out,” Glanville claimed, adding, “But we were wasted, and it was fun, and I’m down for fun! And then she invited me away to her set, and we fucked, and that was it.”
Granted, they’re grown women, and there’s nothing wrong with a consensual fling. Where things get complicated is the fact that Richards is married, and she has consistently denied Glanville’s claims. So, when Richards’ reps confirmed she wouldn’t be returning shortly after details about the alleged tryst surfaced, Glanville called it “calculated timing.”
She felt like a “target” in Season 10
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During part one of the three-part RHOBH reunion, Richards vocalized her frustration with how she felt targeted by the rest of the cast. Not surprisingly, this didn’t go over well with everyone else. Castmates like Erika Girardi accused Richards of “liking” mean tweets about the cast and of “trying to make us as a group look bad.”
It didn’t help Richards’ case that she allegedly sent cease-and-desist letters to the production company Evolution, Bravo and fellow cast members (including Glanville) to try to prevent them from talking about the alleged hookup with Glanville.
Her friends turned their backs, too
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Richards did have one ally and, so it seemed, a true friend on RHOBH: Lisa Rinna. That friendship has had its ups and downs, sure, but even as recently as last month, Rinna referred to Richards as her “really good friend.” That seemed to change when Rinna realized Richards had lied to her about the extent of her friendship with Glanville.
“I thought my friend would have told me the truth. There’s sadness in that, because then I go, ‘Well, what else has Denise lied to me about over the years?’” said Rinna, admitting during a confessional, “It feels like Denise has weaponized our friendship and used everything she can to make me feel guilty… What if she’s manipulating me? What if I’m being manipulated in all of this too?”
By this week’s Tell All, it would certainly seem Richards had made up her mind about the friendship — she accused Richards of “gaslighting” her and the other Housewives.
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