Benny Blanco has landed in hot water for a “tone deaf” reaction to Barry Keoghan’s vulnerable story.
The music producer, who is married to Selena Gomez, welcomed the Dunkirk actor on his podcast, Friends Keep Secrets.
During the interview, Barry opened up about not wanting to leave his house due to social media hate and overcoming his battle with substance dependence.
Highlights
- Barry Keoghan revealed his struggle with substance dependence and a nearly fatal experience on Benny Blanco's podcast.
- Benny was criticized for laughing and making a lighthearted comment after Barry shared a serious story.
- The Irish actor had a difficult childhood, spending years in foster care before his mother's passing.
Image credits: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
In a clip posted by the podcast’s Instagram account, the host asked Barry, “Did you used to do dr*gs?” to which the actor replied, “Yeah, yeah, that's why I'm clean now... 2.5 years.
"On paper, my mum d*ed at 32 from [substance-related issues] and my dad passed away. It took me three attempts at rehab."
The video then cut to the Irish star saying, “I technically did d*e for a few seconds.” Asked if he had a “post-d*ath vision,” Barry explained that he imagined a blonde woman walking away from him and asking him to follow her.
Image credits: Friends Keep Secrets
“And on this side there were loads of lads stabbing me. I was holding onto them and they were trying to push me over to this side and I was begging them that I could stay,” he recalled.
“I was like, ‘Please let me stay,’ and they were like, ‘Alright. Let him stay.’”
The camera then panned to Benny, who said, “Wow, let's go outside and talk about something fun” before laughing.
Image credits: Friends Keep Secrets
In the comments, many criticized Benny for laughing and his podcast for ending the clip with his lighthearted comment rather than focusing on the seriousness of Barry's story.
“This clip really is a disservice to the story Barry was telling in the episode,” one critic said. “This ‘reel-ifying’ everything for the sake of ‘content’ is really kind of depressing.”
“Let’s not try to change the subject when things get personal. What he’s talking about is way bigger than any joke or quick laugh,” shared another.
Image credits: Friends Keep Secrets
“Maybe next time let’s validate someone when they choose to be vulnerable… especially when men decide to be vulnerable,” a separate viewer fumed.
“Ffs. Tone deaf. Some people really have no idea how hard it is to overcome substance dependence. And moments like this shouldn't be dismissed for the sake of a laugh or shock value,” one person stressed.
The 33-year-old actor had a turbulent childhood. Given her mother Debbie’s substance dependence issues, Barry and his younger brother were sent into foster care in Dublin when he was five.
Image credits: Friends Keep Secrets
After seven years moving around 13 foster homes, Barry and Eric moved in with their aunt and cousin.
Barry’s aunt, Lorraine, reportedly worked as a cleaner in a pub to support the three children.
Though Lorraine adopted Barry, he still kept in touch with Debbie, visiting her until her passing at age 31. Barry described the day he lost his mother as the “worst day of my life.”
In 2019, Barry revealed that he prays to his late mother for good luck before every big audition.
“You want that little push before you go in,” he said, as per the Irish Post. “I have great memories of her, she was gorgeous. I believe she’s here with me through this journey, the good times and the bad.”
In the interview, he also spoke about Lorraine and his grandmother, thanking them for “fighting” for him and his brother and taking them in from foster care.
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
After performing in school plays, Barry began his acting career in 2010 after answering a casting notice in a street shop window for the crime film Between the Canals.
He has since appeared in many critically acclaimed projects, including Dunkirk, Saltburn, The Batman, and the HBO miniseries Chernobyl.
In 2023, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Banshees of Inisherin.
Image credits: sabrinacarpenter/Instagram
Fans will next see Barry portraying Ringo Starr in the upcoming series of Beatles biographical films directed by Sam Mendes.
During his appearance on Benny Blanco’s podcast, the BAFTA winner also discussed the backlash he faced following his breakup with pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
Barry denied the internet theory that he had cheated on the singer and discussed how the rumor took a toll on his mental health.
“I stopped going to events. I stopped socializing,” he shared.
Image credits: popcultureshub/X
“There was a narrative out there that was never really sort of even spoken on, a narrative that’s not true, and I never confirmed or said anything about it. And I just disappeared.”
He said a woman had implied that she had an affair with him, but she later retracted her statement.
“A girl made a video. And then a girl actually made the same video and went, ‘Sorry for making that up,'” Barry stated. “But no one seemed to latch onto that video.”
