Barry Keoghan Reconsiders Acting Career Amid Backlash From Sabrina Carpenter Fans Over His Looks
Barry Keoghan has opened up about the heavy toll online criticism has taken on him following his breakup with pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The Saltburn actor admitted that relentless comments about his appearance and personal life have pushed him to step away from the internet and have even made him question his future in the film industry.
- Barry Keoghan admitted that relentless online “a*use” regarding his looks has made him question his future in Hollywood.
- The Saltburn star revealed he has largely gone into hiding and avoided public events to escape the toxic social media narrative.
- Despite the personal toll, Keoghan’s career remains active. He recently appeared in the Peaky Blinders film and is set to star in Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic series.
“There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of a*use of how I look,” Keoghan said.
Barry Keoghan revealed online hate about his looks has made him question his career in Hollywood
Image credits: Stephane Cardinale/Getty Images
Speaking on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on March 20, Keoghan explained that online harassment escalated after his relationship with Carpenter ended.
The actor shared that the severe hate he received eventually led him to remove himself from social media.
“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,” he continued. “And it’s not nice.”
Image credits: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images
Image credits: MGM/Warner Bros. Pictures
He further noted that the situation has affected his willingness to appear in public.
“It’s becoming a problem. 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.”
Keoghan added that when negativity starts bleeding into his creative work, it becomes even harder to ignore. “Then you don’t even want to be on screen anymore.”
Beyond the impact on his career, Keoghan admitted that online backlash could affect his young son
Image credits: Netflix
Keoghan shares a 3-year-old son, Brando, with his former partner Alyson Sandro. During the conversation, he revealed that he worries the child may one day encounter harsh comments about his dad.
“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.
Keoghan has previously spoken about protecting his son from public scrutiny. After initially sharing photos of Brando online, he stopped posting about him due to judgment about his parenting.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“Because I reigned that in, people draw a narrative and go, ‘Absent father, s—t, deadbeat dad,’ and more disgusting things I wouldn’t even repeat,” he said during a November 2025 episode of The Louis Theroux Podcast.
“Just the audacity of some people, man, it sickens me. It makes me furious.”
Despite the criticism, he insisted that people online have no real understanding of his life as a parent.
Keoghans ’ personal life came under scrutiny during his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter
Image credits: porqueTTarg
Carpenter and Keoghan first sparked dating rumors in December 2023.
They appeared to confirm the romance when they were spotted sharing a kiss, and Keoghan even starred as Carpenter’s love interest in her Please Please Please music video.
During an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Carpenter shared that casting him felt like the obvious choice.
“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 added.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
“And he was next to me in a chair. And he was so excited about it!”
Even Keoghan spoke warmly about the singer during an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast in November 2024.
“I’m incredibly blessed. [She is] such a strong, independent lady who is massively talented and pretty special.”
However, the couple called it quits in December 2024.
An insider told People that the pair had “decided to take a break” because they were both focused on their careers.
Despite the backlash, Keoghan continues to land major film roles
Image credits: Netflix
While the actor admitted the online noise has affected him personally, his professional career remains highly active.
Recently, Keoghan appeared in the Netflix film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. He played Duke, the estranged son of Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy).
He has also been cast in one of the most anticipated film projects in development, Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic series.
Keoghan will play Ringo Starr in the four-film project titled The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which is scheduled for release in April 2028.
Image credits: MGM/Warner Bros. Pictures
As the star put it, he continues to value the fans who support his work despite the offensive online comments.
“I’ve been blessed that I have an incredible fanbase and people are so lovely out there, you know?” he said.
“And it’s really nice when you do Q&As and you talk to people, and you can be there with them and answer their questions and just give them all of you.”
“He creeps me out,” wrote one netizen
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