Sabrina Carpenter Won't Say Whether or Not She Calls Barry Keoghan Her "Boyfriend"

"How do I skirt around this question?" 

Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter attend The 2024 Met Gala Celebrating "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024 in New York City.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sabrina Carpenter isn't ready to define her relationship with Irish actor Barry Keoghan...at least, not yet.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the "Espresso" singer not-so-subtly dodged a question as to whether or not she refers to Keoghan as her boyfriend.

"How do I skirt around this question?” Carpenter replied, clearly not ready to publicly or definitively define her relationship with the actor.

“The (dating) pool is the pool, and when you meet people that feel authentic and are so brilliant and amazing in every way, that’s what you do,” she continued, choosing to talk about her love life more broadly instead of focusing on her connection with Keoghan. “Obviously, I write songs about exactly how I feel, so I guess I can’t be so surprised that people are interested in who and what those songs are about. That’s something that comes with the territory.”

Recently, Carpenter featured her maybe-he-is, maybe-he-isn't boyfriend in the music video for her latest single, "Please, Please Please" in what is arguably the most public display of their romantic relationship.

In the video, the Oscar nominated actor plays a bad boy criminal who meets Carpenter's character in jail. During the duration of the video, Keoghan commits multiple crimes as Carpenter attempts to continue to support her new beau and to the dismay of her disapproving friends.

If there's a reason why Carpenter is hesitant to publicly call Keoghan her boyfriend, the "Please Please Please" lyrics may just give fans a little hint.

"I promise 'em that you're different and everyone makes mistakes / But just don't / I heard that you're an actor, so act like a stand-up guy / Whatever devil's inside you, don't let him out tonight / I tell them it's just your culture and everyone rolls their eyes," she sings.

The pair were first romantically linked back in December 2023 after going on a dinner date in Los Angeles, the Daily Mail reported at the time. According to E! News, they met at Paris Fashion Week two months prior. The couple hard-launched their relationship months later in March 2024, while attending the Vanity Fair Oscars party together.

Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter

Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan UK, the singer and actress shared what she looks for in a partner, admitting that "contrary to popular opinion" she doesn't "think I have a type" when it comes to dating.

"But the internet loves to just put pictures next to each other of men who have the same hair color," she told the publication at the time, adding that her approach to dating is both "fun” and “messy.” 

"I want to be with someone who’s going to be one of my best friends," she explained. "So a lot of it is energy and humor and being genuine. I will say I’ve always connected more with people who are really in touch with their emotions."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.