Barry Keoghan has addressed the fallout he faced from Sabrina Carpenter fans after being accused of cheating on the Man’s Best Friend singer.
The actor appeared on the Tuesday episode of podcast Friend’s Keep Secrets, hosted by Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky and Kristin Batalucco, and revealed that he’s been “avoiding” social media and events due to post-breakup backlash. Keoghan and Carpenter parted ways in December 2024 after one year of dating, and it was believed by some of the singer’s fans that the Saltburn star had cheated.
“I’ve stopped socializing, and it’s because there was a narrative out there that was never really even spoken on, a narrative that's not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. I just disappeared,” Keoghan said around the 7-minute mark of the video below.
“Yeah, that I cheated,” he said when Lil Dicky asked if he was referring to speculation that he was unfaithful to Carpenter
Keoghan added that because he’s a public figure, allegations about him get “amplified,” particularly on social media.
“A girl made a video and then a girl actually made the same video and went, ‘Sorry for making that up,’” he recalled. “But no one seemed to latch on to that video.”
Keoghan went on to express that he doesn’t want anyone to side with or like him, because “that’s not normal either.” “But I'm asking for people to stop assuming and also stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and dragging me down in any way you can,” he said.
The 33-year-old added that he’s been trolled online about his parents, both who have died from drug-related circumstances. “Just absolutely disgusting and vile,” he explained. “There's videos on TikTok literally going ‘I hate him.’ … I'm not saying this for a pity card or pity me. Why is it cool to to hop on and beat someone who's come from a lot?”
Shortly after his breakup from Carpenter, Keoghan called for those online to stop harassing him and his family, including his then-2-year-old son, Brando.
"I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond to,” he stated at the time. "I have to respond now because it’s getting 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."
