Actor and ex of pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, Barry Keoghan, has admitted that online bullying surrounding his looks has made him “shy away” from the public.
Talking to SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on Friday (local time), the Saltburn actor opened up about the “nasty side” of being famous, admitting that he notices all of the online hate he cops for his physical appearance.
“I remove myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being,” Keoghan began, revealing that he goes online to see reactions to his work and public appearances.
“There’s a lot of hate online. There’s a lot of abuse of how I look. It’s kind of past the point of — you know, everyone goes through that… but it’s made me shy away,” he continued.
“It’s made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside.”
Keoghan went on to add that the online hate has become a “problem” that has prevented him from going to places.
“But when that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don’t wanna be on screen anymore,” Keoghan added before adding that the whole situation is “disappointing”.
“It’s also disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older,” he said.
This isn’t the first time Keoghan has publicly addressed online hate and its effects on him, his family, and his work.
In December 2024, the entertainment world was set on fire following news of a split between him and Carpenter, with fans alleging it was Keoghan’s unfaithfulness that caused the breakup.
Shortly after the rumours surfaced, Keoghan deactivated Instagram and issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), admitting he “can only sit and take so much”.
“My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond to. I have to respond now because it’s getting to a place where there are too many lines being crossed,” Keoghan began.
“I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract me from my family and my work.
“Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine,” Keoghan added.
“Talking about how I was a heroine baby and how I grew up, and dragging my dear mother into it also. Knocking on my granny’s door. Sitting outside my baby boy’s house, intimidating them. That’s crossing a line.”
Keoghan hasn’t returned to the Meta platform since deactivating in 2024.
Image source: Getty Images.
