Barry Keoghan's cheeky reaction as Sabrina Carpenter swoons over Cillian Murphy
American singer Sabrina Carpenter may have found herself coming under-fire for her comments about married Cillian Murphy, but that didn't stop Barry Keoghan stirring the pot.
Fans demanded the singer, 24, "be respectful" of the Irish star's marriage and branded her "unfunny and cringe" thanks to her attempt at humour as she attended the 96th Academy Awards over the weekend. She strutted the red carpet for the Vanity Fair Oscars party with her rumoured boyfriend Barry, but Sabrina had another Irish actor on her mind.
Chatting to Vanity Fair, the former Disney star caused controversy when she made it very clear she is a big fan of winner Cillian. She teased: "If I see Cillian Murphy, I’m probably gonna leave the party. Probably gonna leave with him. I’m not going to leave with him, I’m just going to leave at the same time as him, so I can see where he lives. So I can follow his car."
Fans waded in with some not seeing the funny side of her swooning over him. Barry clearly did and in a comment on Vanity Fair's video post the actor, 31, left two telling emojis - a guy with his hand in the air, as well as a traditional Irish four leaf clover. That probably did little to settle those who have torn into Sabrina.
Cillian and his wife Yvonne first met in the '90s and they tied the knot in 2004. In an affectionate speech after receiving his Oscar on Sunday night, he dedicated the award to his wife and their children. At the end of his victory speech, Cillian gushed: "Yvonne McGuinness, my partner in life and art. My two boys, Malachy and Aran who are sitting up there. I love you so much."
Peaky Blinders attraction planned as officials cash in on the hit showLast month, Cillian confessed in a chat with BBC Radio 4 that his wife has been a rock in his successful career and paid tribute to her. He said her support is "crucial" and spoke lovingly about their two children, adding: "To have a really secure, solid base is important. You have to have that safe place. I certainly do. It's just like an island of comfort and ease. It's been crucial, honestly. I don't think I could have done any of the things that we've talked about without having them."
Cillian and Yvonne have been together for over 28 years since they met while he was starring in a play about two Irish teenagers called Disco Pigs. That fact made Sabrina's comments hard to swallow for some and one Instagram user fuming: "I can take a joke, but it's very distasteful to involve married people even so." Another raged: "Unfunny and cringe af. If it was a man making that joke, we'll see the cancellation train appearing out of nowhere."
A third unimpressed commentator mused: "I know she was being cute but my immediate thought was 'with the famously faithfully married guy?'" However, some were quick to defend Sabrina from critics, with one hitting back with: "Obviously she’s joking, so cue the dim witted clods who don’t know how to laugh or recognise a joke." Agreeing, another added: "Guys guys celebrities can joke around too.."