Resurfaced RHOBH Clip Sees Aaron Phypers Threaten to 'Crush' Denise Richards' Hand

The scene, which originally aired during Season 10 in 2020, shows Richards and Phypers storming out of an event at Kyle Richards' home.

As Denise tells her then-husband, "Don't say a f--king word," Phypers coldly responds, "Don't tell me what to say. I'm going to crush your f--king hand. Stop it."

Fans were stunned as the chilling moment began circulating on Instagram this week, with one user commenting, "This definitely gave red flags," with another writing, "So so concerning."

At the time of the episode's the cast addressed the moment on social media.

"Wait! What did he just say??" tweeted Erika Jayne, along with a concerned-looking emoji -- a post re-tweeted by Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna and Teddi Mellencamp as well.

Erika also re-tweeted a clip of the moment with captions on, specifically pointing out the "crush" comment.

Kyle retweeted the footage too, but then deleted the post. In response to a fan asking why she shared it in the first place -- accusing her of doing it to "exploit and embarrass Denise" -- she replied, "Should we protect him?"

Teddi posted the short clip too, adding, "When I called him an asshole I wasn't too far off."

Richards herself addressed the moment during the season's reunion special after Bravo EP Andy Cohen asked her directly, "What was going on in that moment?"

"I didn't even know that [he said that]," Richards replied. "I played it for him and he said, 'I don't even remember saying that. I don't know why I would say that, because I'm afraid of you.'" She then clarified that Phypers was "afraid of [her] … in a joking way."

But that explanation still didn't sit right with Richards' former castmates, with Sutton Stracke calling Phypers' comment "unacceptable," and Garcelle Beauvais telling Cohen that while she didn't hear it on the show, she saw it on social media and was "worried."

Richards and Phypers tied the knot in 2018 and stayed together for five years before he filed for divorce in early July 2025, requesting spousal support after exposing the former couple's alleged lavish lifestyle in court documents.

And just this week, Richards was granted a restraining order against Phypers after she made several explosive claims of ongoing abuse during their marriage.

In court documents filed Wednesday and obtained by TMZ, the Wild Things actress claims Phypers was physically violent throughout their marriage, with incidents dating back to 2022, saying he threatened to kill her and himself, hacked her computer and cell phone and left her with visible injuries like the black eye.

"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 wrote in the docs, which have been viewed by TooFab.

"Until now, I have been afraid to report Aaron to the police or file for a restraining order because he has repeatedly threatened to kill himself and me if I reported him to the police, among his other threats of harm to me and himself if he is reported for his abuse to anyone," she added, claiming he also owns 8 unregistered guns.

Phypers has denied the allegations against him, telling TMZ: "Not true. I have all the details. She is creating a story to save her image reporting a conjured up story when I have all the real evidence."

In a subsequent statement to the outlet Thursday, Phypers added: "Let me be unequivocally clear: I have never physically or emotionally abused Denise -- or anyone. These accusations are completely false and deeply hurtful. Denise and I, like many couples, have faced our share of challenges, but any suggestion of abuse is categorically untrue."

The statement continued, "I have always tried to approach our marriage with love, patience, and respect. I ask for privacy as we navigate personal matters, and I hope that the public and media will refrain from spreading harmful and baseless claims."

Per TMZ, the restraining order will last until August 8, when they'll next appear in court. Until then, he has to stay 100 yards away from Denise, her home, vehicle and place of employment.

The estranged couple share a 14-year-old daughter, Eloise, whom Richards adopted in 2011. The model-actress is also mom to Sami, 24, and Lola, 20, from her previous marriage to Charlie Sheen.