Denise Richards has explained why she chose to speak openly about her facelift, saying she refused to let her estranged husband control the story after he allegedly brought up the surgery in court during their divorce battle.
The 55-year-old actress discussed her decision on The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show, telling host Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg that changing attitudes towards cosmetic surgery had made her more comfortable sharing details of her procedures. But the timing, she revealed, was also influenced by what she described as a deliberate move by her ex.
“In the ’90s when I got my implants, we didn’t have social media, and I feel that a lot of us were much more private,” Richards said. She added that her estranged husband had mentioned her facelift in court, although reporters present did not publish the remark.
Richards said she decided to get ahead of the situation rather than wait for the subject to be raised publicly on someone else’s terms. Four months later, her publicist arranged an interview with Allure, published on March 20, in which she detailed the surgery she had undergone in June 2025.
The procedure, performed by Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr Ben Talei, included a deep-plane facelift, temporal brow lift, eyelid lift, lip-corner lift and fat transfer. Richards said it was the first cosmetic procedure she had undergone on her face, more than 30 years after receiving breast implants at 19. She also alleged that her ex had sent a photographer to an appointment where she was receiving microneedling treatment for her scars and claimed the facelift had been botched. Richards dismissed that suggestion as ridiculous.
Speaking on the podcast, she said she was glad she had been transparent about the experience, both to share information with others and to credit her surgeon’s work. She admitted she had not known how the public would react, but had no regrets about opening up.
The dispute comes amid Richards’ ongoing divorce from Aaron Phypers, 53, who filed for divorce in July 2025 after the couple married in September 2018. Richards later obtained a temporary restraining order, accusing Phypers of domestic violence; he has denied the allegations. At an October 2025 hearing, she testified that she was still recovering from her facelift when they separated and felt particularly vulnerable.
The legal fight continues. Last month, a judge ordered Phypers to pay Richards $25,762, including sanctions, after finding he had failed to properly respond to written questions from her legal team, according to Page Six.
Elsewhere in the interview, Richards said she regretted visiting the wellness centre Phypers ran, where the pair first got to know each other. She also alleged that she had unknowingly paid the salary and severance of a woman with whom she claims he had an affair. Asked whether she would marry again, Richards said she would not, although she remained open to falling in love.
For Richards, going public with her facelift was about more than cosmetic surgery. It was a decision to tell her own story before someone else could tell it for her.
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Last modified: October 15, 2026
