Barry Keoghan announced on X on Saturday that he has deactivated his Instagram account after sparking intense speculation about his relationship with his young son and his split from pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter.

After Keoghan had a son with his now ex-partner Alyson Sandro in August 2022, the couple separated the following summer. Shortly after, Keoghan began dating Carpenter, a quick move that led to backlash on social media for the 32-year-old actor. Carpenter and Keoghan have since separated, and their split was plagued by rumors that Keoghan had cheated. The heightened controversy apparently led to Keoghan quitting Instagram.

“I can only take so much. “My name was thrown around the internet in a way that I don’t normally respond to,” Keoghan said. “I have to react now because it has reached a point where too many boundaries are being crossed. I deactivated my account because I can no longer allow these things to distract me from my family and work. No one should ever have to read the messages I received. Absolute lies, hatred, vile comments about my appearance, my character, my behavior as a parent and every other inhumane thing you can imagine.”

Keoghan added that in some cases the harassment went beyond speculation on social media. He noted that some even went so far as to “knock on my grandma’s door” and “sit outside my little boy’s house.”

“Every day I work harder to develop myself on every level to be the healthiest, strongest person for this boy,” Keoghan continued. “I want to give him opportunities to learn, fail and grow. I want him to be able to look up to his father, to have complete trust in me and to know that I have his back no matter what. I want you to remember that he needs to read EVERYTHING about his dad when he’s older. Please be respectful to everyone. Thank you x.”

Beatles drummer Ringo Starr recently announced that Keoghan will play him in Sam Mendes’ upcoming film series about the legendary British rock group. The untitled Sony Pictures project will consist of four films, each from a different perspective of the Beatles.