Peaky Blinders’ Barry Keoghan confesses that constant online hate over his looks is a “problem”. The 33-year-old spoke about the incessant online abuse he has dealt with throughout his career and how it has affected him. Keoghan explained how he retreats into his shell as a defense mechanism against the online vitriol.
Peaky Blinders’ star Barry Keoghan calls out online looks-shaming
Peaky Blinders’ star Barry Keoghan spoke about the constant chatter surrounding his looks. In a candid chat with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up, Keoghan shared honestly, “There’s a lot of hate online. 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.”
The Saltburn star continued, “I say this being absolutely pure and honest to you. It’s becoming a problem.” The Irish actor had previously deactivated his account in 2024. Keoghan explained that he “removed himself” from social media. However, he revealed that he cannot resist the temptation to check what audiences are thinking about him.
Keoghan elucidated, “I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on [the internet]. And if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it’s received. And it’s not nice, you know?”
The Peaky Blinders star shared in a heartbreaking confession, “I don’t have to hide away ’cause I am hiding away… I actually don’t go to places because of these things.” Keoghan also sadly admitted that he feels sorry for his young son, who will grow up and probably read all the hateful stuff spoken about his father.
He further shared, “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.” Keoghan recently starred as Duke Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man alongside Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson, and Stephen Graham.
Keoghan will also star as Ringo Starr alongside Harris Dickinson’s John Lennon, Paul Mescal’s Paul McCartney, and Joseph Quinn’s George Harrison in the Sam Mendes–directed Beatles biopic (via Entertainment Weekly).
