Barry Keoghan Fires Back At 'Sickening' Comments Calling Him A 'Deadbeat Dad'
Barry Keoghan is hitting back at some of the “absolutely disgusting” things that are said about him online.
The Irish actor is the latest guest on The Louis Theroux Podcast, opening up about life in the spotlight over the course of his interview.
Speaking to the Bafta-winning documentarian, Barry said he felt “lucky to have tough skin” due to all of the things written about him on social media.
“There’s a lot online. If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength to have, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” he claimed.
The Saltburn star explained that he largely tries to “stay away from the internet” although there are moments when “curiosity” gets the better of him, and he finds himself scrolling “bad comments attacking my appearance or attacking me as a father”.
Revealing he’s gone as far as blocking certain terms on social media, Barry explained: “Stuff like my son, people don’t deserve to put that in a sentence, anything.
“I’m just trying to make a living, trying to get a good body of work and create safety for my child.”
He said: “People love to use my son as ammunition or whatever. And it kind of leads me to stop.
“The more attention I’ve got lately and the more in the public I’ve become, the less I’ve posted about my child, because I don’t think it’s fair to put my child online.”
Barry went on to suggest that his own troubled upbringing left him without a “blueprint” when it came to parenting, but rejected accusations of being an “absent father”.
He added: “People draw a narrative and go ‘absent father, shit, deadbeat dad,’ and more disgusting things I wouldn’t even repeat. Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious.”
The Oscar nominee also spoke about how his appearance is dissected online.
“People can 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,” he told the host.
“I shouldn’t be on the internet, but I’m a young lad who’s curious and I want to know what’s been said.”
Barry dated orthodontic therapist Alyson Kierans for around two years, with the pair welcoming a son, Brando, in 2022.
Following their split, the Banshees Of Inisherin performer began dating pop singer Sabrina Carpenter, sharing the screen with her in the music video for her chart-topping hit Please Please Please.
Listen to Barry Keoghan’s full interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast here.