Exes Denise Richards And Charlie Sheen Reunite 19 Years After Divorce, What Really Caused The Split?

Nearly two decades after one of Hollywood’s most explosive divorces, Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen surprised fans with a red carpet reunion on Thursday, September 4, 2025. The former couple, who share two daughters, warmly embraced and posed for photos at the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, marking a rare full-circle moment.

This marked their first public appearance together since finalising their divorce in 2006. The reunion came at a pivotal moment for the Two and a Half Men star, now celebrating eight years of sobriety while revisiting his turbulent career in the two-part Netflix documentary, releasing September 10, 2025. Featured voices include Richards, his second wife, Brooke Mueller, Jon Cryer, Chuck Lorre, and even his former drug dealer.

For fans of Denise and Charlie, seeing the former couple and parents of two daughters together after so many years was a full-circle moment. Their chemistry and genuine affection for each other reignited the question: What really happened between the couple once dubbed one of Hollywood’s golden pairs? Here’s a look back at Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen’s whirlwind love story.

Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen’s fairytale beginnings

It was not a love-at-first-sight moment for Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen when they first met in 2000 on the set of Good Advice. But the next year, when Richards guest-starred on Sheen’s sitcom Spin City, sparks instantly flew between the two. The couple fell head over heels in love, and by the second date, they were sure of their bond. 

Less than three months after their first date, Sheen proposed to Richards during a romantic getaway in Arizona. The Drop Dead Gorgeous star told PEOPLE in an interview how she wanted to scream ‘Yes’ the moment Sheen took that box out. 

Richards and Sheen had a romantic June wedding. They tied the knot on June 15, 2002, in a dreamy outdoor wedding at Spin City creator Gary David Goldberg's estate in Brentwood, California. Their love-filled wedding was as dreamy as it was star-studded, with A-listers like Angie Harmon, Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora and Brooke Shields in attendance.

By 2003, the couple were expecting their first child, and in March 2004, they welcomed their daughter, Sami. By December of the same year, Denise was pregnant with their second child, Lola.

Inside Denise and Charlie’s on-again-off-again split

In March 2005, while six months pregnant with Lola, Denise Richards shocked fans when she filed for divorce, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. The actress later revealed on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that the marriage had turned ‘toxic’ as Sheen’s long-time struggles with substance abuse had resurfaced.

The Wild Things actress reflected on that phase as she confessed to Charlie’s behaviour when his struggles resurfaced. During an episode of RHOBH, she shared:

“When I got pregnant with Lola, things started to change rapidly. It was a very dark time and very toxic. And I filed for divorce when I was six months pregnant with her… I always did whatever I could to hide Charlie's behaviour.”

Richards admitted that she felt guilty for ending the marriage, but she knew she had to do this to protect her daughters. The divorce proceedings dragged on for months, marred by custody battles, financial disputes, and public feuds, including Sheen’s infamous Twitter rants against Richards. 

A failed attempt at reconciliation

After Lola’s birth in June 2005, Richards and Sheen briefly nodded a yes towards reconciliation. The actress admitted that despite their impending divorce, she was hopeful that they could make the marriage work, as things had turned a whole lot better. Richards never wanted to get divorced in the first place and remained hopeful that they could save the marriage.

After months of unsuccessful attempts at reconciliation, Richards and Sheen ultimately chose to move forward with their divorce. Wanting to keep matters as amicable as possible, they reached a private settlement. On November 30, 2006, their marriage was officially dissolved.

Still, even through the chaos, Richards often tried to shield their children from the fallout. In a 2022 interview on Dear Media’s Divorced Not Dead podcast, the Starship Troopers actress admitted to struggling with guilt for breaking the family. She shared:

"I never wanted the girls to — and I don't know, maybe I did them a disservice… but I never wanted them to sense any discord between us because I didn't want them to feel unsettled. I did shelter them a lot… and I lied my ass off and covered for him… I did everything I could possibly do to make this family unit. I felt the most guilty about splitting up the family unit. I struggled with that for years.”

From a chaotic split to co-parenting

Despite the bitterness, time seems to have healed old wounds. In the years following their divorce, Richards and Sheen remained good friends, even after Sheen’s second marriage to Brooke Mueller in 2008 and their amicable divorce in 2011. The actress even stepped up to temporarily care for Sheen and Mueller’s twin sons when the latter was denied custody.

Even after a USD 1.2 million legal battle in 2016, when Denise sued Charlie for allegedly not providing promised financial support for their two daughters, the former couple reunited at Richard’s wedding to Aaron Phypers in September 2018. During a later episode of RHOBH, the actress mentioned:

"No matter what's gone down with Charlie and I, I invite Charlie to anything having to do with the kids and I. Even if he did bring a prostitute as his date, I wouldn't care [laughs]. It's just, it is what it is."

Today, both appear committed to putting family first. Speaking to PEOPLE in February 2025, the actress shared how Sheen has remained supportive of her from day one, and that hasn’t changed. Speaking about the Platoon star, Richards said:

“Charlie is always invited to holiday dinners. There’s always an open door and that goes for Brooke and the boys as well. I’m always, the more the merrier. I want everyone to get along and everyone to be peaceful.”

Sheen reunites with Richards on the red carpet for the first time after their divorce

Cut to now, at the premiere of his upcoming documentary, aka Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards reunited with her ex-husband. The 60-year-old Wall Street star was struck with wonder when he saw his ‘gorgeous’ ex-wife, 54, on the red carpet and even noticed his former drug dealer documenting the glamorous event with an iPhone. Speaking to the audience, Sheen quipped:

"So I haven't been to a premiere in a couple of decades… I show up, and my drug dealer has taken more photos than I have. And in the next minute, I'm on the red carpet with my gorgeous ex-wife, like we're headed out on the town. What the hell happened?"

From red-carpet darlings to tabloid fodder and back to cordial co-parents, Richards and Sheen’s journey has been anything but ordinary. Their recent reunion was a reminder of how far the former couple has come.

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