The Million Dollar Joke Between Exes: Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen

In a recent twist to their post-marital saga, Denise Richards has publicly refuted claims made by her ex-husband Charlie Sheen about a million-dollar check he allegedly wrote as a joke. The 54-year-old former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star took to Instagram on October 23 to share evidence of the uncashed check, which contradicts Sheen’s recent podcast claims. “Found this during my recent move. I never cashed it, @charliesheen,” Richards wrote over an image of a Wells Fargo check for $1 million, playfully adding, “Is it still good?” This revelation comes in direct response to Sheen’s appearance on Kevin Clancy’s “KFC Radio” podcast just two days earlier, where the 60-year-old actor had claimed he once wrote Richards a birthday check for $1 million “kind of as a joke,” only to have her cash it a month later without warning. The check’s visible date—December 24, 2011—indicates it was written approximately five years after their divorce was finalized, adding another layer to their complicated post-marital relationship.

The couple’s history stretches back to their June 2002 marriage, which produced two daughters: Sami, now 21, and Lola, now 20. Their relationship publicly deteriorated when Richards filed for divorce in March 2005 while pregnant with Lola. The divorce, finalized in November 2006, was notably contentious, with Richards at one point seeking a restraining order against Sheen. Despite their tumultuous past, the former couple appears to have developed a more amicable relationship in recent years, though playful jabs like the check controversy suggest that certain tensions may remain. During his podcast appearance, Sheen seemed both amused and slightly stung by the alleged cashing of the check, remarking, “Yeah, which makes it sting more?” before admitting, “But you know, if I’m on the other side of that, I’m probably cashing that check.” He humorously added that Richards “could have let [him] know” before depositing such a large sum, a comment that now takes on new meaning given Richards’ assertion that the check was never actually cashed.

The million-dollar check saga represents just one small chapter in the complex relationship between these high-profile ex-spouses, whose marriage and divorce played out under intense public scrutiny. Richards recently opened up about their relationship in the Netflix documentary series “a.k.a. Charlie Sheen,” released in September 2023. In emotional interview segments, she revealed the profound impact of Sheen’s well-documented substance abuse issues on their marriage and her wellbeing. “What he put me through, I don’t know how I’m here to be honest,” she confessed in the documentary. “I think the only way through tragedy, what I was going through, was having a fucking sense of humor because it was so bad.” She added that maintaining a sense of humor helped her cope with situations that might seem unbelievable to outsiders, such as when Sheen allegedly “took a baseball bat to all the TVs” in their home. Her candid reflections provide insight into how she survived what was clearly a traumatic period in her life.

The documentary also captured Richards’ emotional vulnerability when discussing the long-term effects of her relationship with Sheen. “The truth is I feel like my life with Charlie is three stages: It’s the time I met him and married him, then my divorce and then the aftermath of it,” she explained through tears. “I’m sorry to get so fucking emotional about it because it was a lot, and I’ve had to fucking hold it together.” These powerful statements highlight the lasting emotional impact of their relationship, even years after their divorce. The couple’s journey from Hollywood’s golden pair to contentious exes and now to something resembling amicable co-parents has been complicated by public scrutiny, Sheen’s highly publicized personal struggles, and the challenges of raising their daughters amid the chaos. Despite these difficulties, they appear to have found a way to maintain a relationship that, while not without its occasional public disagreements like the check incident, allows them to co-parent their adult daughters.

The check controversy is particularly interesting when viewed through the lens of wealth and celebrity. A million-dollar check written “as a joke” speaks to a lifestyle far removed from most people’s reality, where such an amount represents life-changing money rather than fodder for pranks between ex-spouses. The casualness with which both discuss this sum—Sheen in claiming she cashed it without warning, and Richards in finding it while moving and joking about whether it’s “still good”—highlights the financial privilege that forms the backdrop of their post-divorce relationship. However, it also demonstrates how money matters can remain complicated between former spouses, regardless of wealth. Whether the check was cashed or not, the fact that it has become a point of public contention suggests that financial boundaries and communications remain sensitive areas even in celebrity divorces.

As Richards navigates this public disagreement with Sheen, she is simultaneously dealing with another divorce—from her second husband, Aaron Phypers. The article describes this current separation as “acrimonious,” suggesting that Richards is once again finding herself in difficult matrimonial circumstances. This parallel situation adds context to her willingness to publicly correct Sheen’s claims about the check, perhaps indicating a desire to set the record straight about financial matters as she works through another divorce. It also underscores how public figures like Richards must manage their personal struggles while under constant scrutiny, with even seemingly minor disagreements about past financial interactions becoming fodder for public discussion. Through it all, Richards appears determined to maintain her dignity and tell her side of the story, whether through documentary appearances or social media corrections to claims made by her famous ex-husband.