Barry Keoghan opens up on 'online abuse' as he 'doesn't want to go outside' anymore
More than a year after he deleted Instagram due to relentless trolling, Barry Keoghan has told of how online bullying is turning him into something of a recluse.
The actor, 33, revealed that he still receives 'a lot of abuse [about] how he looks' and confessed that it has made him 'shy away' from the spotlight.
Which is really quite upsetting, considering the Irish star should be relishing in the adoration he has been receiving for his incredible performance in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Keoghan, who hails from Dublin, has previously discussed the emotional toll that being tormented by internet users has taken on him.
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During an appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast in November 2024, he discussed how 'people sit there and make videos and be like ‘I don’t like his face, he looks weird, or he looks evil’ and just pick you apart'.
"People kind of have a judgment on me as a parent," Keoghan said. "I’m like, well until you’ve walked a day in my shoes growing up as a kid, then you can’t comment. There’s a lot online.
"If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength I have, I wouldn’t be sitting here."
Although fans hoped his impassioned plea might give vile trolls a reality check, Keoghan has now explained that the negative commentary surrounding his appearance has continued.
"There's a lot of hate online," he said during an appearance on SiriusXM's The Morning Mash Up on Friday (20 March).
"There's a lot of abuse of how I look, and it's kind of past the point of - you know, everyone goes through that… but it's made me shy away."
"It's made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside," Keoghan continued. "I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It's becoming a problem."
Despite 'removing himself' from social media, he said that he still sometimes stumbles across trolls targeting him online.
"I'm still a curious human being that wants to go on [the internet]," Keoghan went on. "And if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it's received. And it's not nice, you know?"
When asked if he has places to go where he can feel like a 'normal person' due to his celebrity status, Keoghan said, "I don't have to hide away 'cause I am hiding away… I actually don't go to places because of these things."
The actor also admitted that he fears isolating himself from public life could end up impacting his career, adding: "When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don't want to even be on screen anymore."
Keoghan said he finds it 'disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older' - but noted that the 'incredible fan base' he has keeps him going.
"People are so lovely out there," he said. "It's really nice when you do Q&As and you talk to people and you can be there with them and answer their questions and give them all of you. And that is the good side of it."
In December 2024, the Saltburn star deactivated his Instagram account after he said he had received messages that 'no person should ever have to read' in the wake of his split from pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
"My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don't respond to," he said in a post on X. "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."
Urging people to 'be respectful', he said social media users were 'crossing a line' after 'dragging his dear mother into it', accusing him of being a 'deadbeat dad' to his son and people knocking on his grandmother's door.
Keoghan shares a child named Brando with his former partner, Alyson Sandro, who was born in 2022.
If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Topics: Barry Keoghan, Celebrity, Peaky Blinders, Mental Health, Social Media
Olivia Burke