It all started in September 2023 at the Givenchy fashion show, where Sabrina Carpenter, draped in a sheer dress that had the fashion crowd whispering, crossed paths with Barry Keoghan. She immortalized the moment herself on her 2024 smash “Bed Chem,” crooning: “I was in a sheer dress the day that we met / We were both in a rush, we talked for a sec / Your friend hit me up so we could connect.” That’s not just a lyric, darling, that’s a timestamp.
From there, the chemistry was undeniable. Cute dinner dates, soft-launch paparazzi shots, and a Grammys after-party photo in February 2024 that screamed yes, we’re doing this. Barry even jetted off to Singapore to watch her open for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, because apparently being a Hollywood heartthrob isn’t enough, he had to play supportive boyfriend too. By Coachella, Sabrina was waving to him from the stage like the main character she is, and by the Met Gala, they were practically official.
The “Please Please Please” Foreshadowing
When Barry featured in the video of “Please Please Please,” it was perceived by fans as Sabrina’s cheeky boast about their love. It ended up aging like sour milk at room temperature. When she asks in the video, “I beg you, don’t embarrass me, motherfucker, oh / Please, please, please.” Guess what? He did. Art imitating life or life imitating art? Either one, it was the end of it.
By December 2024, the breakup announcement hit, and so did the avalanche of rumors.
From Love-Bombing to Love-G
In her new album Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina portrays the relationship as a guide on how to take a fairy tale and make it a warning story. In My Man on Willpower, she describes the whiplash of Barry’s transformation:
“He’s clingy, he’s loving, he always initiates / Calling and touching, it feels like just yesterday… Can I return him, give back the version I like? / This one’s bullshit, baby.”
Fans quickly clocked the arc: Barry love-bombed her into bliss, then went full Houdini once the thrill wore off. On Nobody’s Son, Sabrina quotes him like a breakup memo: “Hi, I hope you’re great / I think it’s time we took a break / So I can grow emotionally.” Translation: he got bored and dressed it up as self-discovery.
Just when it literally could not possibly become any more of a disaster, We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night drops the exhaustive pattern of fighting and making up, and faking it was fine. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
Barry’s Confess and Sabrina’s Closure
During an interview with Complex, Barry has confessed he is “bad at relationships” and aims to be “more honest” from now on. Adorable. Sabrina had already made a mess of it and put it into melodic poetry.
On Goodbye, she declares her final liberation:
“Goodbye means that you’re losing me for life / Can’t call it love, then call it quits / Can’t shoot me down, then shoot the shit.”
It is a kiss-off song of the ages. And just in case he didn’t quite get the hint, she twists it up with:
“You used to love my ass, now, baby, you won’t see it anymore / Just give it three weeks, buddy / Gonna wake up from your coma, honey, oh.”
