Barry Keoghan has finally addressed the rumours that he cheated on Sabrina Carpenter, revealing that the false allegations are why he has withdrawn from public life. The 33-year-old actor denied ever being unfaithful to the 26-year-old pop star, whom he split from in December 2024 after a year-long relationship.
False Accusations and Online Backlash
The Saltburn star faced claims that he had cheated on Carpenter with a 'semi-famous TikTok influencer', later identified as Breckie Hill, after an anonymous tip was sent to the gossip site DeuxMoi. Appearing on Benny Blanco's podcast Friends Keep Secrets, Keoghan explained how the overwhelming online backlash caused him to retreat.
'I came off Instagram, social profiles. I stopped going to events, socialising. It's because there was a narrative out there that's not true. I never confirmed or said anything about it so I just disappeared,' he said.
When co-host Lil Dicky asked if the narrative involved cheating, Keoghan confirmed: 'That I cheated, yeah.' He added: 'I don't want to ever bring anyone else into it but unfortunately, having a relationship in the public eye, it's amplified. You see the narrative, a girl made a video and then a girl made the same video and said sorry for making that up but no one seem to latch on to that video.'
Breckie Hill's Denial
Keoghan referred to a video in which Hill denied the cheating rumours, stating she had never met the actor. 'I have never encountered this man in my life. The only time I've ever seen him is on my TV screen from watching Saltburn,' she said.
Relationship Timeline
Keoghan and Carpenter were first linked in early December 2023, having met a few months earlier in September. The 'Espresso' singer attended a screening of Saltburn before their official meeting at the Givenchy runway show during Paris Fashion Week. Their relationship intensified to the point where Keoghan appeared in the music video for her single 'Please Please Please'.
However, signs of trouble emerged when a source told People in August that the couple's relationship was 'on and off'. Following the split, an insider told Us Weekly that Keoghan was 'very devoted to her happiness' but that they were 'at different places in their lives', with Carpenter's career pulling her in 'so many directions'.
Carpenter's hit single 'Manchild' is widely believed to be about Keoghan after their breakup. Keoghan previously had long-term relationships with Shona Guerin (2017–2020) and Alyson Kierans (2021–2023), with whom he shares a son named Brando, born in 2022. Carpenter had a high-profile romance with Disney Channel actor Joshua Bassett from 2020 to 2021 and was linked to singer Shawn Mendes in early 2023.
