Barry Keoghan reveals brutal bullying over his looks makes him “not want to go outside”
Barry Keoghan may be one of Hollywood’s top stars, but he recently admitted that cruel online comments about his appearance have become a “problem.”
Los Angeles, California – Barry Keoghan has been one of Hollywood’s top stars for several years now, but fame hasn’t been easy for him: the Irishman has now revealed he’s been bombarded with cruel comments about his appearance.
The 33-year-old made a name for himself in 2017 with his performances in The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Dunkirk, but films like Eternals, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Saltburn have made him a household name.
His distinctive look certainly helped Keoghan stand out from the crowd of gifted actors in Hollywood.
At the same time, they’ve caused – and continue to cause – brutal and offensive messages and comments, especially online.
French prosecutors suspect Elon Musk encouraged deepfake scandal to inflate X value
“There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look,” Keoghan explained on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up.
He went on to admit that the scrutiny has made him “shy away,” adding, “It’s made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside.”
“I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It’s becoming a problem,” Keoghan said.
Barry Keoghan admits he sometimes doesn’t even want to be on screen
The Batman actor is hardly ever on social media anymore and instead only checks in after a new movie premieres to see how viewers are feeling about it, but the reactions to him personally are usually “not nice.”
Keoghan further explained how his insecurity could even affect his career, admitting, “When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don’t want to even be on screen anymore.”
The Oscar nominee is especially about the possible impact on his three-year-old son, Brando.
The Bachelorette: ABC makes bombshell decision about Taylor Frankie Paul’s season
“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 said.
This isn’t the first time Keoghan has spoken out against online harassment.
In late 2024, news of his alleged split from singer Sabrina Carpenter sparked a flood of nasty comments towards him from fans, leading him to fire back in a poignant X post.
“I can only sit and take so much,” he wrote. “My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don’t respond to.”
Keoghan detailed some of the horrific messages he’d seen, including “disgusting commentary” about his looks, and called out the shocking harassment of his family members by some extreme fans.
Cover photo: Collage: LOIC VENANCE / AFP & picture alliance / Andy Kropa/Invision
