What We Know About Ashley Benson's Fiancé Brandon Davis (& His Dating History)
After being in high-profile relationships with Cara Delevingne and G-Eazy, Ashley Benson is ready to settle. In July, the "Pretty Little Liars" alum said "yes" to Brandon Davis, whom she'd started dating just a few months earlier. They were first linked in January, when the two were spotted hanging out with Emma Roberts and boyfriend Cody John. "They have a lot of mutual friends and are both super fun and very social people," a source told People in February. Benson opted to keep the relationship away from the spotlight in those early days.
It's not that she felt unsure about Davis — that's just her preference. "I usually keep my relationships private," she told Cosmopolitan U.K. in 2021. "You obviously can't help if you get photographed together. [...] [Y]ou can really protect your relationship if you're not exploiting it," she shared, but her engagement was a big enough event in her life that she wanted to share it with friends and fans. On July 7, the actress reposted Davis' Instagram Story featuring Benson's engagement ring with the words "love of my life."
In her Story, she wrote: "My best frienddddd. I love you." In an interview with Nicki Swift, diamond expert Mike Fried, CEO of The Diamond Pro, estimated Davis spent a whopping $750,000 — possibly more — on the ring. While some celebrities are known to walk around wearing millions of dollars on their ring fingers, three-quarters of a million is no chump change. However, Davis can comfortably afford it — thanks to his late grandfather.
Brandos Davis is the heir to an oil fortune
Brandon Davis might not be a household name as he isn't exactly a celebrity. He's the grandson of Marvin Davis, who made a fortune worth billions through Davis Petroleum. The elder Davis sold his company in the early 1980s to change his investment focus to other industries, including entertainment and real estate. Notably, Marvin acquired 20th Century Fox in 1981 before selling it to Rupert Murdoch in 1985, according to a 2004 New York Times obituary. His real estate properties included the Aspen Skiing Company and the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Though Brandon uses the last name Davis, he's the son of one of Marvin's daughters, Nancy, with Nebil Zarif, a wine importer with Turkish roots. He has two brothers and two half-sisters from Nancy's second marriage. As an heir, Brandon is well-known among socialite circles, which often overlap with those of celebs. That's how Brandon became friends with Paris Hilton, who took him to all the hip hangouts in the mid-aughts.
Even if his name doesn't ring a bell, many might recognize his infamous comments amid Paris' feud with Lindsay Lohan. In 2006, Brandon was filmed with Paris and Nicky Hilton delivering a rant about Lohan, whom he called a "fire crotch." He went on to call Lohan "disgusting" for being worth $7 million, which, in his view, "means she's really poor." Yikes. Brandon was in his mid-20s back then, so hopefully he's changed his mindset before getting with Ashley Benson.
Brandon Davis was in a relationship with Mischa Barton
Back in the 2000s, Brandon Davis drew attention over his relationship with Mischa Barton. The two started dating in early 2004 after meeting at a charity event and were seen attending several events together, as pictured above. Davis and "The O.C." alum broke up in mid-2005, a little over a year into the relationship. "They are no longer together but they remain close friends," her publicist told People that July. Davis, through his publicist, emphasized the two remained on good terms. "I wish her only the best," he said.
In 2010, Davis made headlines for supposedly going on a misogynistic attack against Barton on Twitter. "OMG. Just realized my ex turned in to 1 of the fattest people in the planet. [...] Mischa the hefer [sic]," the tweet read. But Davis told In Touch the Twitter account, which had been created the previous week, was not his. "I would never say anything nasty about Mischa, especially about her weight," he said. "I am pissed that someone stole my identity and started Twittering things."
Davis has also been linked to Drew Barrymore, but details of the relationship are hard to confirm. He is also in the list of rumored boyfriends of January Jones, ABC News noted. While some reports contend Davis was in relationship with Paris Hilton, a source denies it. "Paris has never dated Brandon. She has known him since she was 2 years old," the insider told Page Six in 2010.