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Barry Keoghan is candidly discussing the impact of persistent online criticism on both his personal life and professional journey.
The actor, known for his role in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, shared that he retreated from the public eye after parting ways with Sabrina Carpenter, attributing his withdrawal to the overwhelming negativity on social media.
“Online, there’s a significant amount of hate. It’s a barrage of insults about my appearance,” Keoghan confessed during his interview on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on Friday.
Although he attempted to distance himself from the digital world, his curiosity often drew him back.
“I tried to step away from the internet, but I’m still inherently curious and want to check how events or appearances are received,” he elaborated. “And it’s disheartening.”
The backlash didn’t just stay online — it began shaping how he navigates the real world.
“It’s becoming a problem,” Keoghan confessed. “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.”
The Saltburn star also shared concerns about how the negativity could one day affect his young son, Brando, whom he shares with 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,” he stated.
Still, Keoghan made it clear that not all fan interactions have been negative — far from it.
“I’ve been blessed that I have an incredible fanbase and people are so lovely out there, you know?” he reflected. “And it’s really nice when you do Q&A’s and you talk to people and you can be there with them and answer their questions and just give them all of you.”
As he put it, “That is the good side of it.”
Professionally, Keoghan isn’t slowing down. He recently appeared in Netflix’s Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man and is set to take on the role of Ringo Starr in an upcoming biopic directed by Sam Mendes.
His personal life, however, has been under a microscope since his relationship with Carpenter ended in December 2024 after about a year of dating. At the time, a source told People the pair “decided to take a break,” noting, “They are both young and career-focused.”
The two were first linked in late 2023 and largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight, though they occasionally crossed into each other’s work — most notably when Keoghan starred in Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” music video.
Carpenter later explained her casting choice during an October 2024 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.
“I, genuinely — like, a not-even-biased opinion — I was like, ‘Who’s the greatest actor that I can find for this music video?’” she recalled. “And he was next to me in a chair. And he was so excited about it!”
Keoghan returned the praise soon after, calling her “such a strong, independent lady who is massively talented and pretty special” during a podcast appearance.
Now, as the noise online continues, Keoghan’s message is simple — and increasingly relatable: logging off might not fix everything, but sometimes it’s the only way to cope.
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