Barry Keoghan has begged people to ‘stop attacking and dragging me down’ after he was accused of cheating on Sabrina Carpenter.
The Irish actor, 33, dated the American singer, 26, for a year after appearing in the music video for her song Please Please Please.
However, in the aftermath of their break-up he was targeted by her fans, who even went so far as to issue him death threats.
At the same time, he was also subjected to intense rumours that he’d cheated on her with an influencer.
Now, nearly 18 months since splitting from the pop star, the Saltburn star has detailed the impact of the allegations.
This week Barry appeared on the Friends Keep Secrets podcast – hosted by Benny Blanco, Lily Dicky (Dave Burd) and Burd’s wife, Kristin Batalucco – where he addressed the ongoing cheating rumours.
‘I came off Instagram and social profiles. I’ve stopped going to events. I’ve stopped socialising,’ he said about deciding to quit social media soon after the break-up and the pile-on.
‘It’s because, you know, there was a narrative out there that was never really sort of even spoken on, a narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. I just disappeared.’
It was then clarified that the narrative Barry mentioned was cheating, which he confirmed, but never directly mentioned Sabrina’s name.
He went on to share that ‘having a relationship in the public eye’ could be challenging, before speaking about the rumours he’d been unfaithful.
These claims had intensified after TikTok influencer Breckie Hill reposted videos saying Barry had cheated on Sabrina with her.
Although Breckie later said she ‘did not get with Barry’ and had never met him, Barry said her retractions were largely overlooked by his accusers.
He went on to say he wasn’t demanding people ‘become my fan and like me’. However he did ask them to ‘stop assuming and also stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and dragging me down in any way you can’.
Barry said that dragging his late parents into the conversation was also ‘just absolutely disgusting and vile’.
‘There’s videos on TikTok literally going, “I hate him”,’ he added.
In the interview Barry said he wasn’t seeking a ‘pity card’ but didn’t understand why people online wanted to ‘beat someone’ like him.
Barry and Sabrina were first linked romantically in December 2023 after they were spotted on a dinner date in Los Angeles and later attended the Met Gala together, while he also supported her at Coachella.
However, by the following year it was reported they’d called it quits.
A few weeks later he deactivated his Instagram and posted a statement slamming trolls on X.
‘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 began.
‘I have to respond now because it’s getting to a place where there are too many lines being crossed.
‘Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.’
He then begged people to ‘be respectful’ after some had ‘crossed a line’ and ‘dragged his dear mother into it’.
Earlier this year Barry detailed facing a ‘lot of hate online’ and ‘a lot of abuse of how I look’.
When speaking on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up, Barry said that although he had an ‘incredible fanbase’ and said ‘people are so lovely out there’, there was also a ‘nasty side’ he’d experienced.
‘It’s also disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older,’ he added, referring to his 3-year-old son Brando, whose mother is Barry’s former girlfriend Alyson Sandro.
Barry then went on to share he’s now ‘removed’ himself from being online but had become anxious to even go outside due to the ongoing hate.
‘It’s made me shy away, it’s made me really go inside myself and not want to attend places, not want to go outside.’
He continued to say that it ‘was becoming a problem’. ‘I actually don’t go to places because of these things.’
Barry then admitted it was also now affecting his ability to act and he ‘didn’t want to be on screen anymore’.
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