Barry Keoghan Said the Online ‘Abuse’ After Sabrina Carpenter Split Could Impact His Career: ‘You Don’t Even Want to Be On Screen Anymore’
Barry Keoghan opened up about the backlash he faced following the end of his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter. The couple was together for roughly a year before ending things in late 2024. Rumors of infidelity surrounded their relationship, leading some of Carpenter’s fans to turn on Keoghan. He recently said that people were cruel about his appearance, leading him to take a step back from the public eye.
Barry Keoghan spoke about the hate he got after his split from Sabrina Carpenter
When Keoghan and Carpenter broke up, he said he began receiving an outpouring of online hate. The actor said many people went after his looks.
“There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look,” he said on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up. “I think I removed myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on and, if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received. And it’s not nice.”
He said that the onslaught of hate made him “not want to attend places, not want to go outside.” He even wanted to take a step back from his career.
“It’s becoming a problem,” he said. “I don’t have to hide away because I am hiding away. I don’t have to go to places because I actually don’t go to places because of these things. But when that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem because then you don’t even want to be on screen anymore.”
He said he worried about the way it could impact his family
Keoghan said he eventually deactivated his Instagram account because of the negative impact on his life. When he deleted the account, he explicitly said that the online hate was the cause.
“I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract me from my family and work,” he said. “The messages I have received no person should ever have to read them. Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”
He worries that his young son will eventually see the backlash when he grows up. Keoghan shares a three-year-old with his ex-girlfriend, Alyson Sandro.
“It is disappointing for the fans, but it’s also disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older.”
Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter ended their relationship in 2024
Keoghan and Carpenter were first linked in late 2023. Over the course of the next year, they stepped out together multiple times. Keoghan also appeared in the music video for her song “Please, Please, Please.” After roughly a year, they parted ways.
“They are both young and career-focused, so they’ve decided to take a break,” a source told People.
While they said their careers led to their split, unsubstantiated rumors claimed Keoghan cheated on Carpenter with TikToker Breckie Hill. Hill denied the rumors.
