“People love to use my son as ammunition or whatever,” Keoghan said of the accusations. “And it kind of leads me to stop, the more attention I’ve [gotten] lately and the more in the public I’ve become, the less I’ve posted about my child, because I don’t think it’s fair to put my child online.”
Barry Keoghan is making a few things clear when it comes to his role as a dad.
The Saltburn actor addressed the online trolls who criticize him as a parent to his 2-year-old son, Brando, during a September appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
“There’s a lot online. If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” Keoghan told Theroux. “Of course, [his childhood is] going to affect me being a father when I had no blueprint to take from. People just read that [as] laziness and go, ‘Oh, that’s no excuse to be an absent father.’ I’m not an absent father.”
Keoghan, who shares son Brando with ex Alyson Sandro, appeared to be referring to the comments he made during an interview with Entertainment Weekly in September, in which he talked about his relationship with his son while promoting his new film, Bird, telling the outlet he didn’t have that father-son experience to draw from when it came to raising his own son.
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He continued, “But it’s just, again, people love to use my son as ammunition or whatever. And it kind of leads me to stop, the more attention I’ve [gotten] lately and the more in the public I’ve become, the less I’ve posted about my child, because I don’t think it’s fair to put my child online.”
“And because I reigned that in, people draw a narrative and go, ‘Absent father, s–t, deadbeat dad,’ and more disgusting things I wouldn’t even repeat,” Keoghan added. “Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious.”
Theroux advised the actor “not to look at comments” from people online, prompting Keoghan to share why he sometimes does read what’s being said about him.
While he shared that he stays off the internet while getting into character for a role, the 32-year-old Irish actor explained, “When I’ve got a bit of time, I am a curious being like all of us, and you want to know what [people are saying online], especially when it’s slander and when it’s bad comments attacking my appearance or attacking me as a father.”
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“I’ve even blocked out certain words because I don’t want to read that. Stuff like my son — people don’t deserve to put that in a sentence, anything,” he added. “I’m just trying to make a living, trying to get a good body of work and create safety for my child.”
Keoghan welcomed Brando with his ex, Alyson Sandro, in August 2022. The actor and Sandro met in early 2021 before calling it quits in summer 2023.
The Oscar-nominee has since moved on with pop star Sabrina Carpenter. The pair first sparked romance rumors last December last year after they were photographed out and about in Los Angeles.
While Keoghan kept mostly mum about his relationship with the “Espresso” singer, he did tell Theroux he’s “incredibly blessed.”
He also described Carpenter as “such a strong, independent lady who’s massively talented and, yeah, very special”.
