Saltburn star Barry Keoghan heartbreakingly opens up on 'online abuse' about his appearance

Barry Keoghan has opened up on the 'online hate' he's received about his appearance and why he's deciding to step back from acting as a result.

The Saltburn actor has previously spoke about online trolls while discussing his career and everything in between on The Louis Theroux Podcast in November 2024.

"People kind of have a judgment on me as a parent," Keoghan said. "I’m like, well until you’ve walked a day in my shoes growing up as a kid, then you can’t comment. There’s a lot online.

"If I didn’t have tough skin or the strength I have, I wouldn’t be sitting here."

Now, the 33-year-old has been speaking about the recent hate he's received regarding his appearance, which has ultimately made him take a step back from being in the public eye.

The actor is stepping back from the limelight (Araya Doheny/Getty Images for SAG-AFTRA Foundation)

Speaking on SiriusXM's The Morning Mash Up, Keoghan said: "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," Keoghan continued. "I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It's becoming a problem."

Keoghan deactivated his Instagram account in December 2024 after stating he had received messages that 'no person should ever have to read'.

Discussing the hate, Keoghan added: "Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine."

Barry Keoghan has spoke openly about online hate in the past (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for ABA)

While he may have deleted social media, Keoghan hasn't been able to avoid online trolls altogether.

He added on The Morning Mash Up: "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?"

Keoghan is worried stepping back from the limelight may well impact his career and his ability to secure gigs in the future.

"When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don't want to even be on screen anymore," he added.

Keoghan went on to say that he finds it disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older'. Thankfully, though, he does still have his 'incredible fan base' behind him.