Actor Barry Keoghan “can only sit and take so much” online, he says, after he was “dragged across the internet” in the wake of his reported split from pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
“The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Saltburn” star deactivated his Instagram account over the weekend and posted a lengthy statement on X addressing the “disgusting” trolling he had been relegated to, presumably since reports about his break-up cropped up last week.
“I have to respond now because it’s gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed. I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract from my family and my work,” the Irish actor wrote in the statement, which also asked his 335,200 followers on X to “Please be respectful.”
Keoghan, 32, said he had received messages that “no person should ever have to read,” including comments that he described as “absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character and how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.” He said the comments dragged his character and everything he had “worked extremely hard for and stand for.”
The Oscar-nominated actor said some commenters had described him as a “heroine [sic] baby” and had dragged his “dear mother” into the discourse. The online harassment may have spilled over into the real world: He alleged that some people had knocked on his grandmother’s door or sat outside his 2-year-old son Brando’s house “intimidating them,” which crossed a line for him. (Keoghan, who grew up in foster care because of his mother’s heroin addiction, was raised in part by his grandmother and had Brando with his ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro.)
“Each and every day I work harder to push myself on every level to be the healthiest and strongest person for that boy,” he wrote. “I want to provide opportunities for him to learn, fail and grow. I want him to be able to look up to his daddy, to have full trust in me and know I will have his back no matter what. I need you [remember] he has to read ALL of this about his father when he is older. Please be respectful to all. Thank u x”
People reported last week that Keoghan and the “Espresso” singer had split after dating for close to a year, with an “insider” stating that “they are both young and career-focused, so they’ve decided to take a break.” Entertainment Tonight reported that the actor and the singer had “been on and off for a while” as Carpenter focused on navigating her skyrocketing fame.
The reported split came as a bit of a surprise since the pair had been so candid with their PDA online, with Keoghan often commenting on Carpenter’s posts and taking on a starring role in her “Please Please Please” music video. He also attended several of the pop star’s shows and gushed about his “massively talented” girlfriend during a November appearance on “The Louis Theroux Podcast.” (Incidentally, on that same podcast episode, Keoghan discussed his challenging upbringing, his son and the online trolling he‘d received even before he was linked to Carpenter.)
Meanwhile, Carpenter’s fans apparently came for Keoghan after celebrity gossip hub Deuxmoi posted an anonymous, unverified tip that claimed the celebrity pair had broken up shortly before the singer’s final Short n’ Sweet shows in Los Angeles and noted Keoghan’s alleged proximity to a “semi-famous, LA based influencer (who’s particularly big on tiktok).” Keoghan did not mention those cheating rumors in his statement, but the online discourse ran with the allegation and squarely placed blame on him.
Breckie Hill, the L.A.-based influencer apparently alluded to in the tip, also waded into the storm, confirming on TikTok that she “did not get with Barry.”
“I have never even encountered this man in my life. The only time I’ve seen him is on my TV screen from watching ‘Saltburn,’” she said, adding, “I’m sorry but if I really was the one getting with Barry, why in the world would I be reposting about it? … Coming from someone who has been cheated on … I would never want to homewreck any relationship or put any girl through that pain — ever.”
Times fellow Malia Mendez contributed to this report.
