Richards acting career began when he bagged the role in the fantasy drama Alakdana (2011), which marked his first screen appearance.

[4] He attended college at De La Salle University-Canlubang with a Degree in Business Administration but his studies was put on hold when his mother died from pneumonia in 2008.

[6] After modeling and male pageant stints,[7] Richards auditioned and secured the role of Joma in the afternoon series Alakdana, his first acting debut and was paired with Louise delos Reyes.

[10] Richards appeared in films Ang Panday 2 replacing Aljur Abrenica role as Hubli[11] and The Road playing the teenager Luis Medina, his performance was praised by critics.

[15] His first primetime television appearance started when he was offered the lead role of Tisoy in One True Love and Jerome in Mundo Mo'y Akin with Louis delos Reyes.

In April 2013, he launched his first single Haplos, a revival of Shamrock hit song which was released on iTunes and MyMusic Store.

[28] Because of their popularity, a sketch comedy series called Kalyeserye was created for them; Richards played different roles including a fictionalized version of himself.

[40] In December 2015, Richards and Maine Mendoza co-starred in My Bebe Love: KiligPaMore alongside Vic Sotto and AiAi delas Alas, directed by Jose Javier Reyes, which was an official entry to 41st Metro Manila Film Festival.

[42] He returned to big screen with Maine Mendoza in Imagine You and Me, directed by Michael Tuveira and the film was released on July 13, 2016.

and Sunday PinaSaya, he appeared as guest star in Lip Sync Battle Philippines, That's my Amboy and the reboot fantasy series Encantadia.

[49][50] Richards played the lead role as real-life activist Bonifacio Ilagan in the docudrama Alaala: A Martial Law Special.

[51] The show premiered in September 2017, co-starred Bianca Umali, Rocco Nacino, and Gina Alajar and directed by Adolfo Alix Jr. and written by Bonifacio Ilagan.

[54] After being on movie hiatus for almost 3 years, Richards was paired with Kathryn Bernardo in Star Cinema's Hello, Love, Goodbye, directed by Cathy Garcia-Molina in 2019.

[55] In 2020, Richards was honored with Ani ng Dangal by National Commission for Culture and the Arts for his work in Alaala: A Martial Law Special and recipient of Asian Star Prize in Seoul International Drama Awards.

[59] In an interview, Sharon Cuneta revealed that she and Richards would be featured in a film, Family of Two directed by Nuel Naval and produced by CineKo Productions.

[60] In 2023, he served as member of the jury panel for Miss Filipina International pageant in Beverly Hills, California.

[63] Richards played the lead role in Magpakailanman: Sa Puso't Isipan with co-starred Chris Villanueva, Jackie Lou Blanco, Dave Bornea, Therese Malvar and was directed by Gina Alajar.

[65] He joined the ensemble cast in the war-drama series Pulang Araw where he played the role of Eduardo Dela Cruz, directed by Dominic Zapata which aired on Netflix in July 2024.

[69] In July 2012, Richards was on the cover of MEGA Magazine with Kapuso co-actors dubbed as "GMA's new breed of rising talents".

[72] After the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, Richards helped with the relief efforts initiated by GMA Kapuso Foundation.

[89] In early 2020, he turned his restaurant into a charity house center and raised donations for affected residents of Taal Volcano eruption.

[92] In the same month, Richards became ambassador for Philippines End Tuberculosis campaign by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

[98] The following year, he participated in Century Tuna's Save our Seas campaign (SOS) for beach and coral reef clean-up drive in Batangas.

[102] At the event, his company helped set-up free medical mission with cash raffle prizes to 4,000 Mowelfund members.

He donated a thousand McDonald's burgers with portable water alongside hot meals from Kapuso Soup Kitchen to victims of Typhoon Carina in Navotas in July 2024.

According to Richards, he would visit seven churches, read the epic poem Pasyon, and watch Christian-themed films such as The Passion of the Christ, The Ten Commandments, Jesus of Nazareth, and The Gospel of John during Lent.