Actor Barry Keoghan “can only sit and take so much” online, he says, after he was “swept around the internet” in the wake of his alleged split from pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Saltburn” star deactivated his Instagram account over the weekend and posted a lengthy statement on last week.
“I have to respond now because we are reaching a point where too many lines are being crossed. “I deactivated my account because I can no longer allow these things to distract me from my family and my work,” the Irish actor wrote in the statement, in which he also asked his 335,200 followers on X to “please be respectful.”
Keoghan, 32, said he had received messages that “no one should ever read,” including comments he described as “outright lies, hatred, disgusting comments about my appearance, character and how I am as a father and any other type of inhumane information.” . anything you can imagine.” He said the comments dragged down his character and everything he had “worked extremely hard for and stood for.”
The Oscar-nominated actor said some commentators had described him as a “heroine.” [sic] baby” and had dragged his “dear mother” into the speech. The online harassment may have spilled over into the real world: She alleged that some people had knocked on her grandmother's door or sat outside her 2-year-old son Brando's house, “intimidating” them, which she said he crossed a line. (Keoghan, who grew up in foster care due to his mother's heroin addiction, was raised in part by his grandmother and had Brando with his ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro.)
“Every day I work harder to push myself on every level to be the healthiest, strongest person for that child,” she wrote. “I want to give you opportunities to learn, fail and grow. I want him to be able to look up to his dad, to have complete trust in me and know that I will have his back no matter what happens. I need you [remember] he has to read ALL this about his father when he's older. Please be respectful to everyone. Thanks ux”
People reported last week that Keoghan and the “Espresso” singer had broken up after dating for almost a year, with an “insider” claiming that “they are both young and focused on their careers, so they decided to take a break.” “. Entertainment tonight reported that the actor and singer had “been dating on and off for a while” as Carpenter focused on navigating her growing fame.
The reported split came as a bit of a surprise since the couple had been very candid about their PDA online, with Keoghan often commenting on Carpenter's posts and taking a starring role in his Music video “Please, please, please”. He also attended several of the pop star's shows and gushed about his “hugely talented” girlfriend during a November appearance on “The Louis Theroux Podcast.” (Incidentally, in that same podcast episode, Keoghan talked about his difficult upbringing, his son, and the online trolling he had received even before he was linked to Carpenter.)
Meanwhile, Carpenter fans apparently came for Keoghan after celebrity gossip hub Deuxmoi published an anonymous, unverified tip claiming the celebrity couple 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 L.A.-based influencer (who is particularly good at tiktok).” Keoghan didn't mention those cheating rumors in his statement, but the speech online agreed with the accusation and placed the blame squarely on him.
Breckie Hill, the Los Angeles-based influencer apparently alluded to in the advice, also waded into the storm, confirming on TikTok that she “didn't get along with Barry.”
“I have never met this man in my life. The only time I've ever seen it was on my TV screen after watching 'Saltburn,'” she said, adding, “I'm sorry, but if I really was the one who hooked up with Barry, why the hell would I repost about him? …Coming from someone who has been cheated on…I would never want to ruin any relationship or put a girl through that pain, ever.”
Times colleague Malia Mendez contributed to this report.
