Barry Keoghan Says Comments On His Looks Made Him Retreat

by Chelsea StewartBuzzFeedBuzzFeed StaffI'm Chelsea, the Weekend Editor at BuzzFeed, where I cover everything from pop culture and politics to TV and celebrity news.

This is Barry Keoghan. He's a talented actor and an accomplished amateur boxer. You might know him for Saltburn, Dunkirk, or for previously dating Sabrina Carpenter.

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Unfortunately, he's also faced cruel comments about his appearance. Back in 2024, Barry deleted his Instagram account after experiencing what he called "disgusting commentary" about his looks after his split from Sabrina — and now, he's opening up more about the harmful impact the remarks have had on him personally.

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Barry appeared on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up with Ben Harlum when he was asked about how he's adjusted to fame and having people "paying more attention" to him.

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He said, "I've been blessed that I've got an incredible fanbase and people are so lovely out there, you know? And it's really nice when you do Q&As and you talk to people and you can be there with them and, you know, answer the questions and just give them all of you. And that is the good side of it, but there is also a nasty side of it."

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The downside, he explained, is "online hate" — specifically, "a lot of abuse" about his appearance. "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. And it's not nice," he shared. "There's a lot of hate online. It's a lot of abuse of how I look."

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While he acknowledged that many people experience criticism, Barry said the volume and intensity have affected him deeply.

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"It's made me shy away," he said. "It's made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside."

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"And I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It's becoming a problem," Barry added. "So yeah, 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. But when that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem because then you don't even want to be on screen anymore."

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Ben called it "disappointing," and Barry agreed, especially when it comes to his son. "It is disappointing. Yeah, and 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 added, referring to his son, Brando, 3, whom he shares with his ex, Alyson Sandro.

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Barry made similar remarks in his statement announcing he'd left Instagram after the "hatred" he received after his breakup. In addition to comments about his looks, Barry said there were also harsh remarks about his parenting. "I need you to remember he has to read all of this about his father when he is older," he wrote. "Please be respectful to all. Thank u x."

I wish people would that remember that this kind of commentary can have real, lasting effects and that it costs absolutely nothing to be nice. Do better.

You can listen to Barry's comments here and then share your thoughts in the comments.

View this video on YouTube

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The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.

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