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Mischa Barton, 38, has lived her life in the spotlight since playing Marissa Cooper on The O.C. And while the actress has been a bit of an enigma over the last decade or so, Mischa recently made headlines for revealing that she dated one of her The O.C. co-stars way back in the day. Mischa dated other men, who were all less famous than her, in the years after her departure from the teen drama series.
Keep reading to learn about all of Mischa’s boyfriends over the years.
Ben McKenzie
Mischa Barton and Ben McKenzie (Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
Mischa and Ben McKenzie had a real-life fling when they played on-screen couple Marissa and Ryan on The O.C. They were 17 years and 25 years old, respectively, when the series premiered in 2003. Mischa didn’t reveal the details of her and Ben’s relationship until her interview on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast in February 2024.
“I mean, it was kind of complicated for me because, like I said, I went into that like a virgin, like a kid, like really feeling like I needed to grow up quickly to portray … acting with people older than me was a bit like, ‘Oh, wow. Like they know what they’re doing,’ ” Mischa recalled, adding that Ben was her “first” romantic partner in her life.
“And I think that kind of set things off on the wrong foot too because it was like, you know, people hook up on these shows and whatever and these things happen, but we threw ourselves all into it very fast,” the actress continued. “And then, when you break up, and things don’t work and they see you dating other people. notoriously, there was a lot of inter-dating on that show and different people getting together, but it definitely was tricky that it happened like right out of the gate and that, like, I felt overwhelmed and not ready for any of that.”
Mischa also said that The O.C. producers went to her parents after she “disappeared with Ben” which was “kind of a whole ordeal.” As fans know, Mischa left the show after season 3 when Marissa was killed off, while Ben remained on the cast for the fourth and final season.
Brandon Davis
Mischa Barton and Brandon Davis (Photo: Michael Caulfield/WireImage)
Mischa started dating oil heir Brandon Davis in 2004 after they met at a charity event. They were together for more than a year before the news of their split broke in July 2005. Mischa’s publicist told PEOPLE, “They are no longer together but they remain close friends.” Brandon confirmed the breakup via his publicist in a statement that read, “I wish her only the best.” Brandon is now married to actress Ashley Benson.
Cisco Adler
Mischa Barton and Cisco Adler (Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage for Jenni Kayne)
Cisco Adler, a famous musician and record producer, was Mischa’s boyfriend from August 2005 to February 2007. The pair reportedly called it quits after nude photos of Cisco leaked on the internet. “They had a blowup. She was furious,” a source told US Weekly about Mischa’s reaction to the nude pictures.
James Abercrombie
Mischa dated Australian model James Abercrombie for two years. They broke up in 2019 after Mischa filmed the first season of The Hills reboot on MTV. “She broke it off with him a couple of weeks ago and is just really taking time to be single right now,” a source told News.com.au in an August 6, 2019 report. “James just turned out to not be the person she thought he was,” they added.
Gian Marco Flamini
Mischa Barton and Gian Marco Flamini in January 2021 (Photo: BG015/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Photographer Gian Marco Flamini is Mischa’s last known boyfriend. They were pictured running errands together in Los Angeles in April 2021. Two months later, Mischa briefly mentioned Gian in an interview with The Guardian. She said she enjoys “nature, my dog, my friends and my boyfriend” in the June 2021 interview. It’s unclear if Mischa and Gian are still together.
