Mar 23, 2026
3 min read
“It’s not good,” said cyberbullying star Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Barry Keoghan talks about the constant internet criticism that has taken over his life - and his career.
The Peaky Blinders: Immortal Man actor admitted he stepped away from the limelight following his split with Sabrina Carpenter and said the wave of negativity on social media drove him into isolation.
"There's a lot of hate online. It's a lot of abuse of what I look like," Keoghan said during an appearance on SiriusXM's The Morning Mash Up on Friday.
As he tried to get out, curiosity pushed him inside.
"I think I've removed myself online, but I'm still a curious person who wants to go forward and if I attend an event or go somewhere, you want to see how it's received.""And that's not good."
The backlash didn't just stop online—it started affecting how he handled the real world.
"It's a problem," Coogan admitted. "I'm hidden, so I don't have to be hidden. I don't really go to those places for these things, so I don't need to go to those places. But when it comes out in your art, it's a problem, because then you don't want to be on the screen anymore."
The Saltburn star also shared concerns about how the neglect will affect his young son Brando, who he shares with ex-girlfriend Alison Sandro.
"It's disappointing for the fans, but it's also disappointing that my little boy has to read all this stuff when he grows up," he said.
However, Keoghan makes it clear that not all fan interactions are bad - far from it.
"I'm blessed to have great fans and there are so many great people out there, you know? He thought.
As he said, "That's the bright side."
On the professional side, Keoghan has recently starred in Netflix's Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man and is set to play Ringo Starr in an upcoming biopic directed by Sam Mendes.
However, his personal life has been under the microscope since his relationship with Carpenter ended in December 2024 after about a year of dating. At the time, a source told People that the couple "decided to take a break," noting that "they're both young and focused on their careers."
The two were first linked at the end of 2023 and kept their relationship in the open, although they spent some time in each other's work - especially when Keoghan starred in Carpenter's "Please Please Please" music video.
Carpenter later explained his casting choice during an October 2024 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.
"I honestly — like, not even a biased opinion — thought, 'Who's the biggest actor I can get for this music video?'" she recalls."And he was in the chair next to me. And he was so excited about it!"
Keoghan was quick to return the compliment, calling her "such a strong, independent woman who is very talented and very special" in a podcast appearance.
Now, as the online noise continues, Keoghan's message is simple — and increasingly relatable: logging out may not solve everything, but sometimes it's the only way to get through it.
