‘RHOBH’: Denise Richards Had the Biggest Contract of Any Housewife but Now She May Be Breaking It

It’s not easy being on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. The show is constant drama and every season there is at least one housewife who is on the outs with the other women. But the hefty paychecks help make all of the drama worth it. But now, the woman with the biggest contract in the franchise is walking away from the show and a ridiculously large amount of cash.

How much was Denise Richard’s contract worth?

Denise Richards joined the show in season 9 and due to her long list of acting credits on shows like Melrose Place and The Bold and the Beautiful and movies like Wild Things and The World is Not Enough, she had some bargaining power. Richards ended up landing a 4-year contract, at $1 million per year, making her total contract worth $4 million, which is one of the biggest contracts that Bravo has ever given.

Denise Richards is leaving the show

After fulfilling just two seasons of her four-year contract, Richards is officially leaving the show, reps confirmed to Variety.

All of the drama for Richards started after former housewife Brandi Glanville claimed that she and Richards had had an affair. This caused Richards to stop filming with the women.

Richards was reportedly appalled at this story going around.

“It’s one thing for the drama to be directed or even scripted in certain situations, but to have blatantly false lies spewed as if it were fact is just wrong and shouldn’t be allowed,” a source close to Richards told Us Weekly.

Whether or not the hookup actually occured is still to be determined as Richards is still denying everything but multiple sources told the outlet that something did go on between Glanville and Richards.

“They’ve hooked up on more than one occasion,” another source told the outlet. “Denise was not married to Aaron [Phypers] when they first hooked up. Another time Brandi was under the impression that they had some openness to Denise and Aaron’s relationship and that Aaron was aware of what was going on.”

Is Denise Richards breaking her contract?

Richards signed a four-year deal with RHOBH but only appeared in two seasons of the show. The details of Richards’ contract, other than its value, have not been made public, so it is unknown whether quitting the show was a breach of the contract for the reality star. Of course, she most likely won’t get the rest of the money that she would have received had she continued on the show.

Will other housewives quit?

It has been a season of quitting in the world of The Real Housewives. Lisa Vanderpump famously quit RHOBH in 2019, Tamra Judge and Vicki Gunvalson were not asked back to RHOC this year, and Dorinda Medley just suddenly quit RHONY.

So, will Richards’ exit spur more departures?

Earlier this year, RHOBH newcomer, Garcelle Beauvais said that her decision to come back to the show hung on Richards’.

“She’s like, ‘If you don’t come back, I’m not coming back,’ and I’m like, ‘and if you don’t come back, I’m not coming back,’ ” Beauvais said on SiriusXM’s EW Live in August.

No other housewives have announced a departure from RHOBH since news of Richards’ exit broke.