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Oscar Nominee Says Bullying Over His Looks Is Becoming A Problem: ‘Don’t Want To Even Be On Screen Anymore’
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Barry Keoghan is opening up about the “nasty” online hate he’s received over his appearance. In an interview on SiriusXM, the Oscar nominee, 33, said the bullying over his looks has gotten so bad that it’s left him apparently opting to stay inside. “There’s a lot of hate online,” Keoghan said during the March 20 episode. “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.” He added, “I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It’s becoming a problem.” After being asked if he has a place where he can decompress from the Hollywood spotlight and “just be a normal person,” Keoghan admitted that he “actually [doesn’t go] to places” because of the negative attention. “I don’t have to hide away because I am hiding away,” he added before suggesting that the online hate has become a major roadblock for him after it started “leaking” into his art. “Because then you don’t want to even be on screen anymore,” the actor said. The “Saltburn” star’s candidness about the online bullying he’s endured comes after he publicly announced in December 2024 that he was deactivating his Instagram in the wake of his messy, public breakup with pop star Sabrina Carpenter. “I can only sit and take so much,” Keoghan began in a X post at the time, noting that his name has been “dragged across the internet” after the split. He also told his followers at the time that he publicly responded, “because it’s getting to a place where too many lines are being crossed,” and that he could no longer allow it to “distract” him from his family and work life. Keoghan shares his son Brando, 3, with ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro. Later in his SiriusXM interview, the “Eternals” actor said that while his staying inside is “disappointing for the fans,” he worries most about it affecting his son, who “has to read all of this stuff when he gets older.” Despite the pressure he’s faced from internet trolls, Keoghan gushed about being “blessed” to have an “incredible fan base.” “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.” Listen to a clip from Keoghan’s interview below. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.