Though they divorced all the way back in 2006, celebrity ex-spouses Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen have been connected more in headlines of late, largely surrounding their daughter Sami Sheen joining OnlyFans. The 19 year old continues to succeed on the subscription platform, as does Richards, who also joined OnlyFans solidarity-style in the aftermath of her former hubby’s initially judgmental reaction. Now, Richards has opened up about past years of navigating parenting struggles with her daughters while the Two and a Half Men vet dealt with personal issues.
In a Bustle feature putting her in the spotlight, Sami Sheen discussed some of the specific ups and downs of having her famous parents, who both also spoke about their parent-child relationships. While Richards and Sheen kept things cordial enough in the early years following their divorce — which was initially filed while the former was still pregnant with Sami — the situation apparently became far more stressful surrounding Sheen’s exit from Two and a Half Men and his unpredictable public behavior. The Real Housewives vet stated:
I went to New York to promote a TV show and Charlie thought it would be great if he came, too. There was a very public incident that happened and we were able to get him back on a plane to L.A. I told the girls that he had to go to work [because] I didn’t know what to tell them. As they got older, and they were able to hear different things, they asked me why I didn’t tell them the truth. I said to them, ‘What would you have wanted me to say at your age? That your father was with a prostitute, or prostitutes, and he went sideways? How on Earth would I say that to you?’
Presumably zero parents’ ideal interactions with their children involve dodging admissions involving prostitutes, and Richards doesn’t seem like she would recommend the experience. It's probably not an easy conversation to have regardless of how old one's children are, especially if some of the information came from tabloids.
In another example, Denise Richards addressed an unfortunate holiday-related memory in which Charlie Sheen’s purported unreliability led to further disappointment. Having attempted to help the girls understand their father by reading a book about addiction with them, Richards said that still only would have addressed part of the problem. As she put it:
There are books, but there’s no book on dealing with it publicly. It was very hard on the girls. There were so many white lies I had to tell [about] why he didn’t show up to school events or Christmas. He would say, ‘I’m on my way to the house to drop off a gift,’ and he would never show up. I remember one Christmas Sami crying and saying, ‘It’s not Christmas without Dad.’ I really did not know how to explain it.
Despite the years of stumbles and bumbles, Sami Sheen and her father have seemingly maintained a healthy relationship. In fact, he credits her moving in with him in 2021 as being a cathartic part of staving off alcohol, since it meant she witnessed him both at his darkest and brightest.
The Major League vet is reteaming with Chuck Lorre for a new streaming comedy, Max's How to be a Bookie, many years after their sitcom-related feud. Considering Sheen specifically requested a character change that removed drug use from the equation, he appears to be fully embracing the sober life still, and likely doesn't want a repeat of all things Tiger Blood and #winning. Could we expect to see Sami Sheen joining her pops on-screen at any point? Place your bets.
