Highlights
- Barry Keoghan denied Sabrina Carpenter cheating rumors on Benny Blanco’s Friends Keep Secrets podcast
- Keoghan quit Instagram and public events due to what he calls a false post-breakup “narrative”
- TikTok influencer Breckie Hill, at the center of rumors, previously denied ever meeting Keoghan
Barry Keoghan is done staying quiet.
Nearly a year and a half after his split from Sabrina Carpenter and months of relentless online speculation, the Saltburn star finally stepped up to address the cheating rumors head-on — and he’s not pulling any punches.
The actor appeared on the Tuesday episode of the Friends Keep Secrets podcast, hosted by Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky, and Kristin Batalucco, and revealed that he’s been “avoiding” social media and events due to post-breakup backlash.
“I came off Instagram and social profiles. I’ve stopped going to events. I’ve stopped socializing,” Keoghan said. “It’s because, you know, there was a narrative out there that was never really sort of even spoken on, a narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. I just disappeared.”
When Lil Dicky pressed him for specifics, Keoghan didn’t dodge. When asked whether the cheating rumors were true, Barry confirmed that’s what he was being accused of, saying plainly, “Yeah, that I cheated.” There it is.
He continued: “I don’t want to ever bring anyone else into it. Unfortunately, having a relationship in the public eye…it gets put out there.”
The Sabrina Carpenter cheating rumors had been swirling since the couple’s split was confirmed in December 2024, after roughly a year of very public dating — complete with Met Gala appearances, Eras Tour cameos, and a starring role in Carpenter’s “Please Please Please” music video.
A big chunk of the online speculation centered on TikTok influencer Breckie Hill, who had reposted videos suggesting she was involved with Keoghan. Hill later posted a video addressing the rumors, saying she “did not get with Barry” and has never met or interacted with him, clarifying that her previous reposts were done “simply because I thought it was so ridiculous.”
The problem? Keoghan said of Hill’s retraction that “no one seemed to latch onto that video.” Classic internet math — the lie travels at the speed of light, the correction gets buried.
The 33-year-old made clear he’s not looking for fans to swing to his side, but he does want the pile-on to stop.
“I’m not asking for people to become my fan and like me because that’s not normal either,” he said. “But I’m asking for people to stop assuming and also stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and dragging me down in any way you can.”
It gets heavier, though. Keoghan — who lost both parents to drug-related causes and spent years in foster care before being raised by his grandmother and aunt — said the harassment went well beyond his own name.
“Just absolutely disgusting and vile,” he said. “There’s videos on TikTok literally going ‘I hate him.’… I’m not saying this for a pity card or pity me. Why is it cool to hop on and beat someone who’s come from a lot?”
“Honestly, I do go on and have a look, ’cause you know, I’m curious,” he admitted, to which Benny Blanco immediately responded: “Don’t do it.” Solid advice, honestly.
Back in December 2024, Keoghan had already addressed the situation on X, saying he received messages that included “absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”
This podcast appearance feels like the full accounting he never gave at the time — measured, direct, and clearly something he’s been sitting on for a while. The Barry Keoghan cheating rumors are now, at least from his perspective, officially off the table.
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