Denise Richards is sharing new details about one of the toughest conversations she's ever had with daughters Sami Sheen and Lola Sheen.
The Wild Things actress got candid about how she handled the many public scandals that followed their dad Charlie Sheen after they divorced in 2006.
"They weren’t ones to Google us because we’re mom and dad," Denise recalled during the March 31 episode of Jana Kramer's Whine Down podcast. "There were things that I would tell them like, 'You might hear something at school. If you have any questions, please come to me.' And they didn’t even ask."
But that all changed in 2015 when the Two and a Half Men alum shared publicly that he is HIV-positive.
"I did have to tell them, because this is where I was kind of upset with Charlie that he didn’t warn me," Denise added, "when he came out publicly that he has HIV."
"It was everywhere," The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum noted of the media coverage that followed. "I think I picked them up early from school that day because I didn’t want kids at school to tell them. I had to have a conversation about that."
And while Denise admitted "It was hard to explain to them" at the time what Charlie's diagnosis meant, it was the only instance where she had to share such serious information with Sami and Lola, now 21 and 19 respectively.
"But that was the only time I can remember," the 54-year-old reflected. "There’s been a few things that I’ve had to have conversations with them about. But for the most part, I really tried to shelter them from a lot of stuff."
Denise—now married to Aaron Phyphers—previously joked about how having "f--ked up" parents might have negatively affected Sami and Lola's childhoods on their Bravo reality series Denise Richards & Her Wild Things, but the girls never paid much attention to all the tabloid attention surrounding their family.
As Sami exclusively told E! News in February when the show premiered, "It's just our life. "We've been born into this and it doesn't feel any different. This feels a little different, I'm not used to this. But I just view them as my parents."
Lola echoed the OnlyFans model, "Sometimes I forget that they're famous until I see stuff. I'm like, 'It's so crazy people see them differently than I do.'"
Keep reading for a closer look at Denise and Charlie's blended family.
Denise Richards & Her Wild Things airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
Cassandra Estévez
Charlie welcomed his first child Cassandra with his high school girlfriend Paula Profit in 1984 when he was only 19 years old.
While Cassandra has mostly stayed out of the spotlight, she was escorted down the aisle at her 2010 wedding to Casey Huffman by the Two and a Half Men star.
Sami Sheen
Charlie and now-ex-wife Denise Richards welcomed their eldest daughter together on March 9, 2004 two years after they wed.
Sami first entertained the limelight when she appeared on Denise's 2008 E! reality series Denise Richards: It's Complicated as a child.
Over a decade later, she made a name for herself in 2022 when she became an OnlyFans model shortly after turning 18. And the young star's career move has proved to be quite lucrative ever since.
“It opened so many doors for me,” Sami told People in February 2025, “and I've met really cool people doing it, and it's been really rewarding being my own boss and making my own hours and being able to do the things I've always wanted to do.”
Lola Sheen
Lola, who was just 3 when It's Complicated premiered, grew up to be very different than her boundary-pushing older sister.
Born June 1, 2005, she is a woman of God and a devout Christian.
“I can't explain it other than it literally was supernatural,” the restaurant hostess told People in an interview published Feb. 2025 after getting baptized in the church. “Jesus rescued me and he completely rewired my mind. He became my Savior, but also my best friend.”
The teen also shared how religion saved her from the darkness of depression.
“I felt so lost and hopeless, and was just doing my best to make it to the next day,” she admitted on Instagram. “He gave me a light, when I couldn’t find my own, and rescued me from the darkness. Jesus saved me from battling severe anxiety, and gave me a peace that makes no sense.”
Eloise Richards
Following her divorce from Charlie, newly-single Denise adopted her youngest daughter Eloise as an infant in 2011. In 2016, she was diagnosed with a deletion in chromosome 8 which caused developmental delays in walking and speech.
"Eloise is a bright light," the proud mom told People in March 2025. "She just loves everything, and she just embraces it and is just so happy. And the older girls see it too. Sometimes if they go at each other, [Eloise will] just be like... And I'm like, 'I know.' And then they laugh, and then they can kind of get past whatever stupid thing they're fighting about."
Bob Sheen & Max Sheen
Charlie and third wife Brooke Mueller welcomed twin boys Bob Sheen and Max Sheen on March 14, 2009. The couple divorced less than two years later, with Bob and Max living with Denise during their parents' contentious split.
In 2023, Charlie got candid about raising his youngest children as a single dad.
"Their mom has been trying to figure some stuff out on her end, so she's not in the picture too much right now," he told People at the time. "They're really cool, really smart, and really funny."
While they mostly stay out of the spotlight, the twins made a rare appearance at their mom's 47th birthday celebration in August 2024.
The Estévezes
Let's not forget that Charlie (real name Carlos Estévez) was born into a famous family. His dad is legendary actor Martin Sheen (born Ramon Estévez), whose Hollywood career spans more than six decades.
Charlie's older brother Emilio Estévez also followed in their father's footsteps having starred in classic films like The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Mission Impossible and The Mighty Ducks.
The stars also share brother Ramon Estévez and sister Renée Estévez.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)