Tragic Details About Mischa Barton

At the height of her career, Mischa Barton was Hollywood's most beloved teen drama heroine, playing Marissa Cooper on "The O.C." Like many of TV's finest teen stars, Barton soon found her career in a downfall after leaving the show. Her fall from grace made it difficult to make a name for herself as an adult in the industry — she's mainly recognized for guest starring in Season 22 of "Dancing with the Stars" and her role as Reece Sinclair in the 2023 reboot of the Australian soap opera "Neighbours."

Barton went from Hollywood's It Girl at 17 to another young star failed by the industry, subjected to partying, drugs, and the subsequent critical limelight that came with that kind of public behavior. Barton's career has been overshadowed by a DUI arrest and a psychiatric hold — all reasons Barton feels connected to Britney Spears. When Alex Cooper asked her on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in 2024 if she related to Marissa Cooper, Barton said that she felt the same drama in her own life as her complicated TV character — every "O.C." watcher knows how chaotic Marissa's life could get. The tragic details of Barton's fame are a timeline no "O.C." fan can miss.

Playing Newport Beach's elite daughter wasn't all fun for Mischa Barton. Marissa Cooper's tragic plotline and ultimate ending were a hard hit for viewers who watched 2003's "The O.C.," but Barton has revealed exactly why she ended up leaving. "There were people on that set that were very mean to me," she told E! News in 2021. "It wasn't, like, the most ideal environment for a young, sensitive girl who's also been thrust into stardom to have to put up with."

Barton explained that she felt unprotected as a teenager on set with adults, plus the long hours on set had exhausted her, so she opted to "go out with a bang" rather than stay for the series finale. Leaving the show gave her the  opportunity to explore new paths in the industry, since she was only 17 when she began her role as Marissa. "I just had a lot in my career that I wanted to do and accomplish," she told The New York Times. "I felt like things were really heavily reliant upon me, and I was getting no time to do any of the other offers that were out there."

Mischa Barton's limited time on "The O.C." didn't stop her from becoming a media sensation, which had its baggage. In an eye-opening personal essay for Harper's Bazaar, Barton described the unwanted attention, from being depicted as a sex symbol at 13 to being stalked by paparazzi. "There was no relief from it, so I fought for a long time to be unfamous," she wrote. Barton recalled feeling enormous pressure to mature quickly, explaining that her career pressured her to experience milestones, like her first kiss and having sex, early. "I felt controlled within an inch of my life."

The paparazzi eventually became a relentless defect of her fame. She told The Sunday Times that for a portion of her life, it was nearly impossible to leave the house without being followed by cameras. "[The paparazzi] were doing all kinds of crazy stuff to me," she said, revealing that paps would pay restaurants and gift the homeless cell phones so they would tip them off when Barton was around. "I was stalked," said the actor.

With many attempts at a comeback after leaving "The O.C.," Mischa Barton caught the media's attention for the wrong reasons, including a 2007 arrest. What would've made a perfect plot point for Marissa Cooper was a real-life nightmare for Barton. The then-21-year-old star was pulled over for driving erratically through traffic. Police arrested her for driving under the influence and without a valid license.

After the story made headlines, and her mugshot was plastered all over the internet, Barton explained herself to Ryan Seacrest during his "On Air" radio show (via E! News). "Obviously, I'm 100 percent responsible for my actions in this case, and I'm really disappointed in myself," she said. "I don't know what to say about it except I'm not perfect."

Owning up to her behavior, she also told Nylon Magazine that it was one of the most embarrassing moments in her career, but she never claimed to be squeaky clean. "That was a low point for me," said Barton. "I never, ever would have thought I would be arrested."

Roughly a year after dealing with the humiliation of a public DUI arrest, Mischa Barton was hospitalized for mental health reasons. It was revealed in 2009 that had been in L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under an involuntary psychiatric hold. What she first brushed off to "The View" as something that was "blown out of proportion," turned out to be something more serious.

"I had too much work going on," she told Barbara Walters on the talk show, per ABC News. "I had a surgery for my wisdom teeth that went really badly." As it turns out, dental work was not the motivation behind her time at the psychiatric hospital. In 2013, she confessed to People magazine that "It was a full-on breakdown." According to the outlet, she had threatened to commit suicide. "I was under enormous pressure," Barton revealed.

In 2017, Barton was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai again after police found her yelling incoherently in her yard. After her release, many speculated that it was a repeat of 2009. However, Barton revealed to People that she had been drugged while celebrating her 31st birthday with friends. "This is a lesson to all young women out there, be aware of your surroundings," said Barton.

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In another feat to become a role model for women everywhere, Mischa Barton dragged her ex to court in March 2017 after she learned he had unconsentually video taped her in a sexual manner. Even worse, the sex tape was reportedly being auctioned on porn sites, per The Guardian. "I came forward to fight this, not only for myself but for all the women out there," Barton said during a press conference at the time. "I want to protect them from the pain and humiliation that I have had to go through. No woman should have to go through this."

Later that month, the ex-boyfriend was identified as Jon Zacharias, who — ordered by the Los Angeles Superior Court — turned over all copies of the so-called revenge porn to Barton. While on "The View," Barton's lawyer Lisa Bloom remarked, "It's such an important victory not only for herself but for women." Though she was scared of the media backlash, Barton said it was important to stand up for herself and reclaim her autonomy over her own body.