Former Bond girl and, more recently, former Real Housewife Denise Richards has started beef with The Herbal Chef Chris Sayegh. Recently, on Jeff Lewis Live, Richards claimed Sayegh must have slipped her cannabis against her will. The Chef clapped back hard and quick on social media.
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Wondering what happened? Here’s the whole story
In the most recent season of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Sayegh and his team served a carefully infused meal, which he always starts off with a conversation about how edibles dosing works. Richards was one of the many guests, and she requested no cannabis in her meal–Sayegh is adamant that’s what she got.
As the night unfolded, Richards’s behavior became increasingly more questionable. With bleary eyes she slurred calling out Erica Jayne for hurting her feelings without ever quite sharing how. The two-part dinner has been called the “dinner from hell.” Almost every housewife shared that they had no idea what Richards was on about. In confessional, Garcelle considered that the actress might have had a drink before the event to calm her nerves.
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Sayegh is on camera during the episode peeking out from the kitchen, saying, “Denise Richards is f*cked up.” In his post, he shared that her first words to him were, “Do you know who I am?” He notes she was visibly under the influence of something at this point.
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When trying to explain that night in an interview on Jeff Lewis Live, Richards claims someone must have drugged her with cannabis. Many, like Sayegh, noted her clear inebriation on arrival. But still, the cannabis stigma is real and controversies like this may still set the space back.
In his response post, Sayegh shares a clip of the interview with a lengthy message to Denise and the world-at-large. In the message, he shares, “See, this should have been such a beautiful moment for cannabis and the positive influence it can have in one’s life if consumed responsibly.”
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“I felt it was important to set the record straight regarding this incident because of the accusations made and the broader implication it could have. Denise essentially implied on multiple occasions that my company was responsible for dosing her with cannabis against her will,” Sayegh told GreenState. “To drug someone against their wishes is a serious accusation and one that I do not take lightly. My entire business is built upon integrity towards plant medicines and how they are ingested.
“I have worked for over a decade to help destigmatize cannabis and other plant medicines because I believe that when used responsibly, they have the ability to help heal our mind, body and spirit,” Sayegh explained. “A situation like this, where millions of people are watching and Denise tries to pass the blame, reflects poorly on the industry that has struggled to move past the stigmas that were perpetrated to older generations.”
What the fans are saying
Bravo vloggers like Up and Adam are on Sayegh’s side, saying Denise was clearly not sober when she walked into the party. The comments section is a chorus of agreement:
@rebeccapetty4402 said: “It was obvious Denise was under the influence when she arrived at the party. She isn’t fooling anyone! Kudos to the weed chef for calling Denise out and defending his business. The question is not, “Do you know who I am?” It’s, “Who do you think you are?”!!!!”
Another supporter, @jayneguercio6855 reads: He just said what we ALL knew. But to say the chefs put something else in her food ?? Disgusting. That was totally defamation. I don’t blame him for being annoyed.”
The closest thing to her side was from @micheleprice4292 saying: “I don’t think denice was talking bad about the chef and didn’t blame them.”
Cannabis advocates like Sayegh have been working for years to break decades-long stigmas against the plant. This situation is dramatic, but it’s reality television–truth is in the eye of the beholder. However, the public opinion seems to side with The Herbal Chef this time.
