enise Richards left “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” in 2020, but she’s just now revealing the main reason for her departure.
During a March 2025 appearance on Sirius XM’s “Julia Cunningham Show,” Richards, 54, shared that she left the Bravo reality show because she felt that she didn’t have any friends on the cast following her falling out with longtime pal Lisa Rinna. Richards and Rinna’s 20-year friendship ended when Rinna turned on her regarding rumors about an affair with Brandi Glanville.
“It was very, very hard,” Richards said of the end of her friendship with Rinna. “It was really hard, actually. That was the biggest reason why I didn’t go back for a third season because it was just, well, I was like, ‘No one likes me on this show anymore,’ so who would I even talk to except for Garcelle [Beauvais].”
“I have become really good friends with Sutton [Stracke], but at the time, I didn’t know her, so I just felt like I didn’t have any friends on the show,” she added, noting that she does not speak to Rinna at all anymore.
Denise Richards’ Closest Friend From RHOBH Quit the Show
Richards’ comment that Beauvais was her only friend on RHOBH came just after Beauvais announced her departure from the show after five seasons. In a video message to fans, Beauvais explained that she wanted to focus on spending time with her twin sons, Jax and Jaid, during their senior year of high school. She also teased acting and producing projects she had in development.
On the podcast, Richards admitted she was taken aback by Beauvais‘ news.
“I was so surprised by that,” she told Cunningham of her pal’s sudden departure from RHOBH. “But you know, I’m happy for her if that’s what she wants to do and it’s time, so she’s gonna have so many amazing opportunities and great things.”
“It does take a lot of your time, and you know, the show is mainly focused on the women and the friendships,“ she added. “And so if you have other things going on, it’s hard to work around that, and it’s hard, sometimes, for production to be able to shoot those things too.”
Denise Richards Says She Would Never Rule Out a Return to RHOBH
Bravo
Five years after her RHOBH days, Richards has moved on to headline her own Bravo reality show, “Denise Richards and Her Wild Things,” along with her husband, Aaron Phypers, and her daughters Sami, Lola, and Eloise. The new show came to fruition thanks to Richards’ friendship with RHOBH producer Alex Baskin.
“Alex Baskin and I met when I joined ‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ and I loved doing that show,” she told Deadline in a statement last June. “This is the perfect partnership for our family’s series as our lives are full of fun, love, and unpredictability, and we can’t wait for the audience to share this adventure with us.”
But in 2024, she told People magazine she wouldn’t completely close the door on “The Real Housewives” should Bravo come calling again. “I always say, ‘Never say never,’” Richards teased. “We’ll see what happens when they get around to going back for their season.”
