Barry Keoghan deactivates his Instagram, says son and grandmother are being harassed: 'That's crossing a line'

After leaving Instagram, Barry Keoghan has now posted a statement saying his family is being harassed.

The Saltburn star deactivated his account Friday amid reports that he'd ended his yearlong on-and-off romance with Sabrina Carpenter, and on Saturday he posted a lengthy statement to X explaining why he suspended it.

"I can only sit and take so much," he wrote. "My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don't respond [to]. I have to respond now because it's gettin' to a place where there are too many lines being crossed."

Keoghan went on to say the vitriol he's received has turned his attention away from his loved ones. "I deactivated my account because I can no longer let this stuff distract from my family and my work," he wrote. "The messages I have received, no person should ever have to read them. Absolute lies, hatred, disgusting commentary about my appearance, character, how I am as a parent, and every other inhumane thing you can imagine. Dragging my character and everything I worked extremely hard for and stand for."

The Banshees of Inisherin actor described the types of messages — and real-life threats — he's faced recently. "Talking about how I was a heroine baby, and how I grew up, and dragging my dear mother into it also," Keoghan wrote. "Knocking on my grannie's door. Sitting outside my baby boy's house, intimidating them. That's crossing a line."

Keoghan said he continues to try to improve himself for the sake of his son. "Each and every day I work harder to push myself on every level to be the healthiest and strongest person for that boy," he wrote. "I want to provide opportunities for him to learn, fail, and grow. I want him to be able to look up to his daddy, to have full trust in me and know I will have his back no matter what."

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The actor went on to ask that the harassment stop, especially because of his child. "I need you to [remember] he has to read ALL of this about his father when he is older," Keoghan said. "Please be respectful to all."

This year, Keoghan led the thriller Bring Them Down and played supporting roles in Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age drama Bird and the World War II miniseries Masters of the Air. Next, he'll reunite with his Dunkirk costar Cillian Murphy in Netflix's Peaky Blinders movie, and he's also set to star in Trey Edward Shults' Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Rumors have also circulated that Keoghan will portray Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes' four-film Beatles biopic project. Neither Keoghan nor anyone officially affiliated with the project have confirmed it, but the real Starr seems to think it's true. "Well, I think it's great," the drummer told Entertainment Tonight. "I think he's somewhere taking drum lessons, and I hope not too many."