It was the celebrity relationship hard launch to top all hard launches. In June, after months of dating fervour, Sabrina Carpenter released a music video to her new single Please Please Please — starring her boyfriend and Saltburn star Barry Keoghan.
It was certainly a dramatic way to formally announce a relationship to the world, and perhaps reminiscent of J-Lo’s 2002 music video for Jenny from the Block, in which Lopez famously has her bottom affectionately caressed by her then-fiancé Ben Affleck.
Then, for a while, it looked as though Carpenter and Keoghan were heading the same way as Bennifer. Break up rumours swirled in late summer, fuelled even more so by speculation that her entire album was actually about her time dating fellow pop star Sean Mendes, not Keoghan.
But it’s the Irish actor’s Instagram stories that always give it away. Keoghan has become known for being the ultimate supportive fan-boyfriend, giving even Tom Holland a run for his money. When he praised one of Carpenter’s songs, Bed Chem (meaning chemistry in the bedroom) upon the release of her album, it was clear the pair were still firmly together.
The singer, 25, and Saltburn star, 31, were first linked in December last year, when they were seen enjoying a dinner date in Brentwood, Los Angeles. It came as quite the surprise to many fans on social media that Bafta-award winner and former Disney star might be involved, especially because few people were aware that the he had split from his long-term girlfriend and mother of his child Alyson Sandro.
However, Sandro, a dental nurse and orthodontic therapist, and Keoghan reportedly split in July last year. The pair had started dating in February 2021 after meeting in a bar, and welcomed their first child, a son named Brando, in August 2022 while Keoghan was filming Saltburn.
In an interview with GQ, the Irish actor was asked to comment on their split and simply replied: “She's [Alyson] done a great job, and she's an incredible mother.”
When reports of their breakup first emerged, The Sun claimed that the former couple were “determined to do the best for their son” after they decided to call it quits following rows about late-night partying.
Since then, Carpenter and Keoghan been spotted on various dates together, at red carpet events, and Keoghan has devoutly appeared backstage at his girlfriend’s gigs as she has shot to worldwide fame.
From Grammy’s sightings to their first couple appearance at the Met Gala, here’s a full timeline of the couple’s whirlwind romance.
December 2023: Carpenter and Keoghan are spotted leaving a romantic dinner
In early December 2023, the Daily Mail reported that Carpenter, who had earlier that year been romantically linked to Shawn Mendes, and Keoghan were seen together in a Los Angeles car park, where they were reportedly leaving a “romantic” dinner together.
The story was based on a couple of low-res pictures of the pair, but the rumour mill began nonetheless.
January 2024: Keoghan confirms split from ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro
The following month, Keoghan announced his split with long-term girlfriend and the mother of his child Alyson Sandro. In an GQ cover story that month, while Keoghan declined to comment on their breakup, he told the outlet: “She’s done a great job and she’s an incredible mother.”
The now ex-couple met in a London bar in 2021, and had been dating ever since, welcoming their first child, a baby boy named Brando (after Marlon Brando), in August 2022 while Keoghan was filming Saltburn.
Keoghan gushed about his son, saying: “I can’t get the little boy off my mind. It’s beautiful. Y’know, it’s crazy, but when he looks at you, you feel like the most important person in the world. That’s the effect he has on me. He smiles at you and you’re like, ‘Wow. You’re smiling at me like that? I don’t deserve that, but anyways, thanks.'”
However, rumors first began swirling in July 2023 that the actor and Sandro had gone their separate ways after nearly three years of dating. “They’ve grown apart over recent months, and things have finally come to a head,” a source told the Sun at the time, claiming that Keoghan’s “partying caused arguments” between the pair. The insider also said the couple’s relationship had “suffered” following the success of the Oscar nominee’s 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin.
January 2024: the couple are spotted visiting an LA amusement park
In January 2024, Keoghan and Carpenter were spotted visiting LA interactive museum amusement park Luna Luna. An eyewitness told People at the time “it definitely seemed like a date”.
The source also added that the pair looked “cute” together and also “shared a little kiss”.
It was suspected that the Irish actor would make his first public appearance with Carpenter at the Golden Globes in January 2024, with a source claimed in The Sun that the Eternals star gave Sandro a heads up about his planned relationship reveal.
“Barry thought it was best that Alyson was the first to know about him and Sabrina so she wouldn’t be hurt if she found out on social media,” the source alleged. “He is spending a lot of time in the States and has invited Sabrina to be his ‘plus one’ at the Golden Globes. Alyson and Barry still communicate for the sake of Brando, and he has been open about his new relationship.”
However, the two ended up walking the red carpet separately.
February 2024: they’re spotted partying together after the Grammys
The following month, after posing on the Grammys red carpet separately, Keoghan and Carpenter were spotted together at W Magazine’s star-studded after party at Bar Marmont in Los Angeles.
In a snap uploaded to the outlet’s Instagram page, the pair posed for their first photo together, with Keoghan playfully putting a hand up to partially cover his face while Carpenter blocked her face with a cocktail glass.
Spotted at our #Grammys after party: Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter. See more celebs at Bar Marmont with fellow hosts @MarkRonson and @Gucci. https://t.co/QXDOkYMN3L pic.twitter.com/3E0wyh2Jl1
— W Magazine (@wmag) February 6, 2024
That same month, Carpenter spoke to Maya Hawke for Interview about how just two years before, she had been at a low point romantically.
“I was at a really, really low point in my life about two years ago, so I was writing very few optimistic love songs,” she admitted.. “That one [“Nonsense”] always stuck out, but I felt like it might discredit some of the songs on the album [Emails I Can’t Send] that were about more sensitive subjects, so it almost didn’t make it in. People in the past had told me my music didn’t have symmetry, that I didn’t have every song sounding the same, and that got in my head. So I’m grateful, because the fans decided on their own that it meant something to them.”
February 2024: the couple are papped on various dinner dates in LA
After months of dating speculation, the couple were once again spotted on two more LA dates in February. They were seen having dinner together at Nobu, before heading to Hotel Bel-Air. According to People, Keoghan then dropped Carpenter off at her home the next morning and were seen kissing goodbye.
A couple of weeks later, the couple were seen once again on a romantic night out, this time wining and dining at popular West Hollywood date spots Delilah and Ysabel. People papped the couple grinning and laughing on the sidewalk, looking very smitten indeed.
March 2024: Keoghan supports Carpenter on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour in Singapore
Took this vid of barry he is so in love pic.twitter.com/GwrPg3CVu8
— chleo leclerc (@chleng_) March 3, 2024
While Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were usually the celeb couple on show during the Eras tour, Keoghan and Carpenter have certainly given them a run for their money.
During the Singapore leg of the show, where Carpenter was opening for Swift, Keoghan showed up to support his girlfriend. As Carpenter sang her hit song Nonsense, the Irish actor was seen flashing a smile as he watched her performance, per videos shared by fans online.
Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan hugging at the Eras Tour. pic.twitter.com/dSQbEBTvyA
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 4, 2024
In a separate video, Keoghan and Carpenter were seen sharing an embrace backstage as the singer walked up to the actor and he twirled her around.
March 2024: the pair are photographed together at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party
While the couple walked the red carpet individually, they were later snapped posing together before entering the party.
In a sweet tribute to Carpenter, Keoghan wore a friendship bracelet which appeared to be dedicated to the singer. The accessory was decorated with a heart charm and included the name “Sabrina” spelled out with letter beads.
April 2024: Keoghan goes viral while supporting Carpenter at Coachella
While Carpenter performed at Coachella in April, an adorable video of Keoghan in the crowd went viral on social media. As Carpenter was preparing to perform, she spotted Keoghan in the crowd and gave him a quick smile and a little wave — to which Keoghan responded by spinning around coyly.
And Carpenter all but confirmed the romance with a racy shoutout to her boyfriend at the end of her set. Alluding to Keoghan’s infamous Saltburn bathtub scene, Carpenter changed the lyrics to the outro of her hit Nonsense. “Made his knees so weak he had to spread mine, he’s drinking my bath water like it’s red wine,” she sang.
sabrina’s bf is such a simp for her i love it pic.twitter.com/ro3e0SMggr
— milk 🎃 (@milkstrology) April 13, 2024
In another fan-captured video, Keoghan could be seen filming Carpenter as she performed, and they were later spotted riding in a golf cart together backstage.
May 2024: the couple make their first red carpet appearance at the Met Gala
In May 2024, the pair finally stepped out on the red carpet together, and what better place to do it than the biggest fashion event of the year?
They posed together on the famous steps, with Carpenter in a custom Oscar de la Renta bustier gown and Keoghan in a velvety brown Burberry suit and a black top hat.
May 2024: Keoghan is spotted watching Carpenter's set at BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend
Cementing his status as the ultimate fan boyfriend, Keoghan was once again spotted watching Carpenter’s set at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Luton.
In fan-captured footage of her set on TikTok, Carpenter was singing and dancing to her hit Espresso, as the Saltburn star smiled and clapped along from the side-stage. Prior to the event, a source confirmed to The Sun that Keoghan would be attending.
“Barry has been added to the VIP guest-list for Sunday and plans to cheer her on from the side of the stage. He couldn’t be more proud of her," they said.
June 2024: Keoghan appears in Carpenter’s music video for Please Please Please
After six months of are-they-aren’t-they, Carpenter and Keoghan finally made their onscreen debut in the music video for Carpenter’s new single Please Please Please this month.
The video contains some allusions to Keoghan and Carpenter’s real-life personas, opening with a prison officer barking Carpenter’s name to announce that she has been bailed out of jail. Clips soon follow of Keoghan – who is an amateur boxer in real life – in a scrap with the mafia, as Carpenter pleads “I heard that you’re an actor, then act like a standup guy”.
Keoghan’s subsequent arrest in the video could also be a nod to his arrest for public intoxication in 2022. The video’s closing scene depicts Carpenter handcuffing and tying Keoghan to a chair, singing “If you don’t want to cry to my music, don’t make me hate you prolifically.”
However, in an interview with Rolling Stone that same month, Carpenter gave an awkward response when asked if Keoghan was her boyfriend, saying: “How do I skirt around this question?"
August 2024: breakup rumours swirl around the couple
Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan’s whirlwind summer romance suddenly seemed to come to an abrupt end in August, when various media outlets started reporting on a potential breakup. A source told People that the couple was “on and off”. Another source told The Sun that their differing lifestyles were to blame, and that Sabrina was 'putting herself first' before her Short n’ Sweet tour started, as per The Sun.
However, once Short n’ Sweet was released in late August, it became clear the pair weren’t completely separate, with Keoghan reposting a post of Carpenter’s to his Instagram story and praising one of the songs on her album, saying: “Bed Chem my fave just sayin m’darlin” with his trusty shamrock emoji.
September 2024: back to regularly scheduled programming
As of September, Carpenter and Keoghan appear to be going strong, with him watching on from the sidelines during her MTV VMAs rehearsals just as he did with the Eras tour earlier this summer.
@ellie_gil Shes a literal angel 😩 #torrisi #dorsia #sabrinacarpenter #barrykheogan #nyfw
♬ original sound - Elena 🍒
This week, the pair were spotted having dinner together in Torrisi, an Italian restaurant in New York. The pair were caught on camera by a TikTokker in the restaurant looking very cosy, putting any and all relationship doubts to bed.
