One night last summer, Sami Sheen got around to googling sex worker.
Sami had started her own OnlyFans, where she posted risque photos and videos.
But now here was one of her favorite influencers,Anna Paul, calling herself a sex worker.
I was like, Oh, my god, this looks so fun.
She just had so much freedom and posted whatever she wanted and controlled her own hours.
Then Sami thought: Was she a sex worker, too?
Im like, Let me just look up the definition, because I wassoconfused, the 19-year-old tells me.
People think Ive thrown my whole life away [or that] Im a loser going nowhere in life.
People call me dirty and gross.
They say the weirdest sh*t.
Sami doesnt believe them, mainly because of her fans.
They always hype me up, she says.
But it wasnt just random people on the internet saying things.
She did a really good job making sure we werent fully exposed to everything so young.
Her parentsdivorced in 2005, when Sami was just a year old.
Denise remembers vividly the challenge of navigating Charlies crises while co-parenting.
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?
There are books, but theres no book on dealing with it publicly, she says.
It was very hard on the girls.
I remember one Christmas Sami crying and saying, Its not Christmas without Dad.
I really did not know how to explain it.
Another family experience without a playbook materialized when Denise joined the cast ofReal Housewives of Beverly Hillsin 2019.
When it was airing people would say, Oh, my god, she looks awful.
Its like, Yeah, dude I was so depressed.
I did not care about anything.
Today, her face is accentuated with faux freckles.
Shes also bleached her eyebrows and dotted her arms with small, feminine tattoos.
Theres a rainbow by her shoulder, a disco ball on her bicep.
Hearing Youre not allowed to date boys until youre 16mademe want to date guys.
I went behind her back.
Shedropped out of high schooland started living with Charlie.
But the experience of living together turned out to be cathartic for both father and daughter.
She got to see up close and personal that journey.
Im not a guy that preaches [or] that needs constant attention or support of what Im doing.
She got to see an inconsistent me become the most reliable person in her life.
Of course, it wasnt a plan.
The universe had us together when it did, which is pretty amazing.
These days, Sheen lives alone in Calabasas, not far from Denise, Charlie, and her boyfriend.
I didnt really see myself getting into modeling until I did theAlexander Wang [lingerie] campaign.
My dream brands [are] definitely Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury, SKIMS.
At first, Denise wasnt entirely comfortable with her daughters career choice.
Even now as a grownup, it hurts still, Denise says.
Then after mulling it over some more, Denise decided to launch a channel as well.
Denise decided she might as well capitalize on her public image in a way that felt true to her.
So thats why I wanted to join OnlyFans, because I was like, Who cares?
Charlie has also come around.
I had a knee-jerk reaction to it because of the reputation that preceded it.
I was just like, Oh, this can only go bad.
I believe her to be incorruptible.
I was 10 years old and like, I cant wait to have big boobs like my mom.
All my friends were getting boobs, and I was just like, OK, whens it my turn?
I would always stuff my bra with socks and stuff.
Its a feeling Denise can relate to.
I was made fun of as a teenager [because my boobs] were mosquito bites.
I got them done at the same age Sami is wanting to get them done, she says.
Though now, 43 years later, Richards is planning to get hers removed.
And its not an easy surgery.
Even so, Sami tells me her career is much more influenced by her mother.
Sheen says she admires the way Richards went from the pages ofPlayboyto starring as a Bond girl.
She also looks to Chloe Cherry, who parlayed her porn career to a turn onEuphoria.
And the Kardashian family, whose entire empire was spurred by Kims sex tape.
Itd be different if my parents were both lawyers, or a little bit more conservative.
But they get it so they cant be mad!
