Mischa Barton is opening up about a sex tape that was filmed by her ex-boyfriend without her consent, recalling the “complete emotional abuse” that she suffered during the ordeal.
“It was a crime. It is a serious crime to tape people without their knowledge like that and I had made the mistake of putting myself in that situation with the person so I just removed myself from it as quickly as I could, and then it just continued to be complete emotional abuse after that for the last several, several months,” “The O.C.” alum said.
Barton also recalled how she learned about the existence of the tape.
“Somebody came up to me on the street… and said, ‘There’s something I need to tell you,’ and I didn’t believe it at first, I couldn’t believe it,” Barton said. “Because I had loved this person and I didn’t think it was possible,” Barton said. “And I later learned that it was entirely possible.”
Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that an “x-rated video” featuring Barton “is being shopped around Hollywood.”
According to the Daily Mail’s report, the video “shows Barton having sex with a dark haired man” and “is being offered to the highest bidder with the starting price of $500,000.”
In a subsequent press conference with her attorney Lisa Bloom, Barton told reporters, “I’ve been put through an incredibly hard and trying time. This is a painful situation, and my absolute worst fear was realized when I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted was filming my most intimate and private moments, without my consent with hidden cameras.”
The actress added, “And then I learned something even worse — that somebody is trying to sell these videos and make them public.”
Barton has obtained restraining orders against two ex-boyfriends, Jon Zacharias and Adam Shaw. The orders state that Zacharias and Shaw “may not sell, distribute, give away or show any naked photos or videos of any type of Mischa Barton.”
According to the orders, Barton began dating Zacharias in October, and during their “brief time together” he “recorded me having sex with him, taking a shower and took other naked pictures of me WITHOUT MY PERMISSION OR KNOWLEDGE. Jon is trying to sell those tapes without my permission for $500,000.”
Nude Photo Hacks: From Leslie Jones to WWE's Paige (Photos)
Sadly, numerous female celebrities have been attacked by hackers, who stole personal information as well as sexually explicit photos from their phones and computers.
Jones is the latest victim of nude photo hackers, with her personal website being vandalized and several explicit photos posted before the site was taken down
The Department of Homeland Security has opened an investigation into the hack, which many believe was perpetrated by a fan of former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Twitter after his "targeted abuse" of the comedian.
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Scarlett Johansson
"The Avengers" star has been the victim of hackers multiple times. Nude photos of the actress were released online in 2011 and again in the massive 2014 hack.
The perpetrator in the 2011 incident was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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Jennifer Lawrence
Lawrence was among the most high-profile victims of the 2014 hack. She came out strongly against those who viewed the pictures, saying doing so was "a sex crime."
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Kaley Cuoco
"The Big Bang Theory" star was also caught up in the 2014 hack, and took it in stride with a cheeky Instagram post.
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Selena Gomez
The 2014 hack immediately drew the attention of the FBI, which began investigating the event that claimed over 100 victims, most of them celebrities.
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Kirsten Dunst
Pennsylvania resident Ryan Collins was eventually captured and charged with illegally accessing the Google and Apple accounts of numerous celebrities, though their identities weren't made public.
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Kate Upton
Collins eventually pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, receiving an 18-month prison sentence in the plea deal.
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Rihanna
Collins was not the only one charged in the hack. Edward Majerczyk of Chicago was also arrested in connection with the data breach.
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Meagan Good
Majerczyk faced the same charge as Collins: one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer.
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Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Majerczyk pleaded guilty to the charge in July 2016. The maximum sentence for the charge of unauthorized access to a protected computer is five years.
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Kim Kardashian
In January 2017, Majerczyk received a sentence of nine months in jail as part of a plea deal. Majerczyk also was ordered to pay $5,700 in restitution for counseling services for one unnamed celebrity because of the harm caused by the hack.
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Paige
WWE Divas star Paige stated on Twitter that "personal and private" photos of her had been stolen and leaked online in March 2017. The leak is possibly part of a reportedly larger hack affecting several celebrity women. Like other victims of the apparent larger leak, photos of Paige, whose real name is Saraya-Jade Bevis, appeared on the website Celebrity Jihad.
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Some of the most infamous breaches of sensitive celebrity data — and what happened to the perpetrators
Sadly, numerous female celebrities have been attacked by hackers, who stole personal information as well as sexually explicit photos from their phones and computers.