Barry Keoghan says he intentionally withdrew from public life after cheating rumors started circulating during his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter. The rumors were quietly debunked.
Sabrina Carpenter reveals the cheeky phrase she uses when she’s feeling down
At an event with Spotify in Hollywood to celebrate the release of Sabrina Carpenter’s album Man’s Best Friend, the singer answered a question about how to break out of a rut.
Barry Keoghan has finally addressed rumors about his affair with Sabrina Carpenter.
The ‘Saltburn’ star opened up about withdrawing from the spotlight amid controversy over the singer’s affair, and spoke on the ‘Friends Keep Secrets’ podcast about how negativity was affecting her life, as well as explaining her appearance.
“I stopped Instagram, I stopped my social profiles. I stopped going to events. I just stopped socializing,” Kogan, 33, said on the April 28 episode. “Again, it’s because there was a story out there that was never even really told. There was a story that wasn’t true, and I didn’t confirm it or say anything about it. And I just disappeared.”
The “Beatles” actor and the “Espresso” singer reportedly dated for about a year before reports of their breakup surfaced in December 2024. Carpenter, 26, did not comment on the rumors.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Carpenter and Cogan for comment.
Cogan explained that during that time, “stories” of cheating began to surface after “a girl made a video” and then another video, and said she was “sorry for making this up.”
“But no one seemed to understand the video. And I didn’t want to come forward and put (pressure) on that girl,” he said.
“This is difficult because I never want to speak on behalf of others, and I never want to refer to others or involve others,” he continued. “And even if it was people who had relationships with me, it’s not their place to come forward and speak on my behalf because it’s unfair to them. I know that because they have relationships too.”
He also spoke out about the “utterly disgusting” and “vile” comments he received, including comments about his late parents.
“I don’t want people to be my fans and like me, because that’s not normal either,” he said. “But I want people to stop making assumptions and stop jumping on this narrative and attacking me and tearing me down in every way possible.”

