In 2017, Mischa Barton filed a lawsuit against her ex
for peddling sexually explicit content
recorded without her knowledge
during their whirlwind romance.
I learned that someone I thought I loved and trusted
was filming my most intimate and private moments
without my consent.
This revenge porn case happened after a few years
of especially brutal treatment by the tabloids.
Her budding career and celebrity turned into a campaign
of slut-shaming, body-shaming, mental health-shaming.
As someone who was thrust into the spotlight
for something I didn't do,
I can't help but wonder
why is this considered an appropriate way
to treat public women?
Now, I'm here in Venice Beach to speak with Mischa
about her battles with revenge porn
and the importance of solidarity with other women.
Having been celebrated in the media
for your career and your work
did it ever occur to you that that
fame could be used as a tool against you?
Yes, I think you know-- You know what you signed up for
once you're in the public eye, you kind of know that
you're more vulnerable but,
I mean, everybody's relationship with the media
I think, and you can probably relate to this
it goes through tidal waves.
It's a roller coaster ride.
Mischa rose to fame as a 17-year-old starlet
on Fox's hit show, The O.C.
That song reminds me of you.
After her role as Marissa Cooper catapulted her to fame
Mischa became a tabloid darling.
Once she became a fixture of the LA party scene,
the press coverage around her started to sour.
Things would only get worse when she met Jon Zacharias.
It was one of those things where
you really can't help who you fall in love with,
and it only lasted I think, eight days, nine days and
he'd seemingly studied law,
was like outgoing, gregarious, funny,
always made everybody laugh.
And also, I got to know him because of
my actual neighbors and friends around.
It was almost like the world had vetted him for you.
Yes, I felt that he was safe.
How did you find out that he had sexually explicit materials
he had recorded without your knowledge?
Well I didn't know forever
until one of his friends came to me
and said, "You should be careful about him."
-Oh, ****! -And I'd already started to sense
around this time that there was a problem.
And then he started bragging about it
-Wow! -to the wrong people,
who came to me.
But then there was still no specific proof
and you would just hope that it would disappear.
And then when did that penny drop
where you were like, oh my God?
Finally, it broke in the press.
I woke up one day to my friend Ryan downstairs
and she was like, "Wake up! "You have to get up
because this is all over the press
and apparently, all these porn sites are looking to buy it.
And I was like, you know, as you can imagine
completely devastated.
Mischa Barton's battle:
The actress is trying to prevent the release of a private tape--
There are a number of porn sites that the video
is allegedly being shopped to.
We have seen a lot of stories recently
of female celebrities being targeted.
Targets of so-called revenge porn.
Was fear the main feeling that you were
-feeling at that time? -I don't know,
I mean, I was afraid.
I was a lot of things.
It was a mixture of emotions.
I'm sure a lot of women who go through anything similar
feel the same kind of mixture of rage,
and fear and uncertainty.
Yesterday, actress, Mischa Barton and her attorney, Lisa Bloom
held a press conference announcing their plan to prosecute someone
who's allegedly shopping around videos and photos of the actress.
And then I learned something even worse,
that someone is trying to sell these videos
and make them public.
I think that's what most predators are banking on,
that you will-- You'll have that shame inside
and that you won't fight back.
And to be honest, your head is spinning
and you don't know what to do.
But, at the end of the day, like, you know,
I was raised much stronger than that.
When did you decide to take the case to court?
What made you think, this is what I need to do.
Well, I knew that if he'd done it before
he could do it again. That's one thing
that was a huge part of it.
And also, I had no choice.
He was now trying to peddle it,
he was trying to sell it for money.
So, he put a half-million dollar price tag on it.
Did it ever, like-- Were you ever afraid
to stand up for yourself?
I mean, of course, you're afraid to stand up for yourself.
I definitely was.
And don't forget this was before, like, MeToo and Time's Up.
And so, it was extremely taboo.
I had no idea what revenge porn was.
That was completely foreign to me.
Did you feel like you needed someone to tell you
how you could protect yourself?
Well, I mean, I knew what he'd done was a crime,
but how to protect myself, I really didn't know.
I wouldn't have known what to do.
And Lisa's taught me all of that actually, over time.
She was like, "You know, the point is you can go into court
and file yourself and make a complaint."
I mean, without her strength and backbone in it,
it would have been very complicated for me.
Let me be very clear
to anyone who attempts to traffic in these images:
You are now on notice of these court orders.
You are on notice that these images
were obtained illegally
and that Miss Barton does not consent
to their distribution.
If you continue, we will find you,
we will come after you,
and we will bring you to justice
to the fullest extent possible.
In June 2017, Mischa won a court order
halting dissemination of the video
and ordering her ex to stay 100 yards away from her.
What was it like when you won this case in court?
It was so amazing!
Yeah, it's a wonderful feeling
to know that you've done the right thing
even if you had to fight for it.
It's amazing how different I feel
from when we started this case.
It's like night and day.
I actually, I truly do feel stronger and victorious.
Did it feel like the end?
Like, this was over.
It actually did because, you know,
it's like two permanent restraining orders.
I felt safe again.
And, I felt like I'd fought it out,
which I had.
I'm very happy with what the judge has decided.
I think it's important that we just see, like,
real justice happened here in this case, so--
Yeah, that's why that's so important
to have a network of women
who really stand up with each other, right?
Because if Lisa hadn't come along
and if I hadn't had those people around,
I don't know what I would have done.
Since it's happened, I don't mind talking about it and
informing other women because
I think it's very important that women know their rights.
It was such a relief to go before a judge
who understood domestic violence
and understood the issues and
to have that lawyer and people there with me who
also build you up and make you strong.
I mean, are you still afraid?
-Probably, a part of me. -Yeah?
But I don't live thinking about it all the time.
But, I suppose, yes. It'll always be...
there and an aggravation,
and an annoyance and a shame that's potentially,
you know, could bear its ugly head again.
Like the way that we treat women
who have been put through this process
-the women of the sex tapes- is...
They continue to get shamed after the fact.
Yeah, and it's your fault and you should have known better.
And it becomes who you are.
And they also know that the rest of the world
is not kind when it comes to women's sexuality.
-Right. -For what?
Like, for trusting someone enough to like,
be intimate with them?
I think we're lucky to be living in a time now, finally,
when we can bring the discussion of feminism back up,
and women empowerment.
There's strength in the discussion.
Well, thanks. I really appreciate
you talking about something that's, like, so
just deeply dreadful.
It takes a lot of courage to come out and say it.
So, thank you.
-Okay, so, salad? -Yeah, salad.
The only reason why people can get away
with revenge porn in the first place is because the victims
they're considered part of the problem.
They're considered the ones who created
this scenario for themselves.
And we shame women when their sexuality becomes public,
whether or not they wanted to.
Not too long ago,
people were able to get away with this
way more easily.
Now, I think Mischa's story shows
that people who are peddling other women's vulnerability
are going to have to think twice
because the law really is on our side.