'Peaky Blinders' star Barry Keoghan opens up about social media harassment

Barry Keoghan has revealed the emotional toll of online abuse, saying the criticism of his appearance has made him question continuing his acting career.

The 33-year-old Peaky Blinders star told SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up that, despite stepping back from social media, he still finds himself checking online reactions to events or appearances. 

“There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look,” he said. “I say this being absolute pure and honest to you: It’s becoming a problem. 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.”

Keoghan also expressed concern about his three-year-old son, Brando, potentially encountering the negative commentary in the future. 

“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.

In 2024, Keoghan deactivated his Instagram account following backlash over his split from Sabrina Carpenter. 

He cited “lies, hatred and disgusting commentary” aimed at his appearance, character, and parenting. 

“Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine,” he wrote on X at the time, explaining that the messages had become too much to endure while protecting his family and career.