Denise Richards Breaks Social Media Silence Amid Abuse And Divorce Drama

Denise Richards has returned to social media for the first time since her estranged husband, Aaron Phypers, filed for divorce earlier this month after six years of marriage.

But rather than address the headlines directly, Denise Richards chose a more heartfelt reason to post, honoring her late mother, Joni Richards.

In the first image shared on her Instagram page, a young Richards beams while holding her then-baby daughter, Sami Sheen, on her lap. Her mother, Joni, sits close beside them with Denise's other daughter, Lola, in her arms.

A second slide features a collage of images from Joni's life, capturing memories from her childhood and beyond.

"Happy Birthday, Mom in Heaven," the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum wrote on Instagram Sunday, alongside two touching family photos. "You would've been 72 today. We miss and love you so much."

Joni Richards passed away in 2007 following a long battle with kidney cancer. She was 54.

"Aw, your beautiful mom," one of her followers commented. "Happy Heavenly Birthday to her. She is proud of you and looking out for you."

"Sending you all the love and positive energy, Denise," another said.

The post marked Denise's quiet return to Instagram following a flurry of headlines about her increasingly tense split from Phypers.

On July 7, Phypers officially filed for divorce, and shortly after, Richards was granted a temporary restraining order against him.

As The Blast reported, in newly surfaced court documents, Richards alleged that Phypers physically and verbally abused her during their marriage, claims he has adamantly denied. Richards accused Phypers of "frequently violently" choking her, slapping her, squeezing her head with his hands, and even threatening to kill her:

"Throughout our relationship, Aaron would frequently violently choke me, violently squeeze my head with both hands, tightly squeeze my arms, violently slap me in my face and head, aggressively slam my head into the bathroom towel rack, threaten to kill me, hold me down with his knee on my back to the point where I would have to plead with him to get off me so that he would not kill me and hack into my laptop and phone and download all of my text messages."

She also alleged that he would regularly threaten to "break my jaw" and would "cry, beg me to stay, and promise to get help," though none of which ever happened."

Following the bombshell allegations, Phypers denied all allegations, telling PEOPLE, "Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise, or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful."

He continued, "Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue. I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect."

Phypers concluded his statement with a plea for privacy as they continue to "navigate personal matters."

But that's not all, because days after Richards was granted a temporary restraining order against her estranged husband, Phypers spoke out in a July 19 interview with TMZ, claiming that he was the one betrayed.

According to Phypers, he discovered evidence earlier this year that Richards had allegedly cheated on him. He said he found text messages and selfies between Richards and another man on her laptop, which included exchanges like "sweet dreams" and apparent plans to meet up.

Despite confronting her about the messages, Phypers told TMZ that the couple agreed to try and work things out, but their relationship continued to spiral. Phypers went on to accuse Richards of becoming physically aggressive, claiming she hit and scratched him, and even smashed his phone during one altercation.

The shocking claims come amid a bitter back-and-forth between the former couple, who appeared to be keeping a relatively low profile until Phypers filed for divorce on July 7.

Since then, the situation has rapidly escalated, with both Richards and Phypers publicly denying one another's allegations while pleading for privacy as the legal proceedings continue.