Denise Richards was divisive, but according to reports, also ratings gold for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Her feuds with co-stars and alleged affair with Brandi Glanville (Richards staunchly denied it) drew viewers in and stoked loyalty and disdain on social media, so many were shocked when news broke that she wouldn’t return for the next season.
Bravo insiders tell Page Six that she wanted too much cash to re-up her contract, while Richards’ insiders say she didn’t even give them a chance to negotiate.
Another source told Page Six: “People think that she didn’t want to come back and that it’s because she got ‘mean-girled’ by other cast members. The truth is she did want to come back. But Bravo didn’t want to pay her what she asked for. It was way out of her pay grade.”
Andy Cohen told People that they just couldn’t agree on a deal. “We were negotiating a deal with her and we couldn't reach an agreement on the deal,” he explained. Richards joined the cast in 2019.
She is the second major star to exit the franchise recently, following Dorinda Medley‘s departure from The Real Housewives of New York.