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Sabrina & Barry Broke Up & Fans Have 1 Major Question

Please, please, please don’t let this be true! ICYMI, “Espresso” queen Sabrina Carpenter and her beau Barry Keoghan have reportedly broken up. (Her Campus reached out to Carpenter and Keoghan’s teams for comment but didn’t hear back by the time of publication.) On Dec. 3, media outlets reported the pair decided to go their separate ways following a year-long relationship. While this news came as a major shock to fans, many can’t help but wonder: Why did Carpenter and Keoghan break up? Here’s what we know. 

People was the first to report on Carpenter and Keoghan’s breakup, with a source claiming that the pair’s respective careers played a part in their split. “They are both young and career-focused, so they’ve decided to take a break,” the source said. So while their breakup comes as shocking news to most of the couple’s fans, the reasoning behind their split makes a lot of sense. 

Carpenter and Keoghan were together for over a year, initially sparking dating rumors in early December 2023. Since then, the couple has had a lot of sweet moments in their relationship. One of the most notable was when Keoghan starred in the music video for Carpenter’s song “Please Please Please.” From sharing heartfelt comments about each other while in public to praising one another’s work, it’s fair to say that this relationship was one that many thought was going to go the distance.

The pair met during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023, which occurred a week after Carpenter saw an advanced screening of Keoghan’s movie Saltburn. In December 2023, Carpenter and Keoghan started to fuel dating rumors after they were spotted grabbing dinner together in Los Angeles. No confirmation was made at that time, so it seemed they were keeping their relationship hush-hush.  

The dating rumors continued when Carpenter and Keoghan were photographed at a Grammy’s afterparty in February 2024. After that, Keoghan supported Carpenter while she served as the opening act on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. 

In March 2024, the pair hard-launched their relationship when they made their first public appearance together at the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty. Keoghan was even seen wearing a friendship bracelet that had “Sabrina” on it. The following month, Keoghan supported Carpenter during her set at Coachella, where he was seen recording her performance on his phone. May was a magical month for the couple, as they attended the Met Gala together and celebrated Carpenter’s 25th birthday. 

As Keoghan continued to support Carpenter, he also acknowledged her six Grammy nods while appearing on The Jess Cagle Show in November 2024. “I don’t know anyone who works as hard. I’m in awe watching her work and how committed and the standards that she sets,” Keoghan said. “Especially being on that music video, just, she knows the vision. She knows what she wants.”

I’m going to need at least five business days to process this breakup.

Makalah Wright is the Campus Correspondent at Her Campus at UWG chapter. For the chapter, she has written personal essays about real-life experiences and she encourages readers to take inspiration or learn from it. Beyond her position as the CC, she is also a national writer for the wellness section of the website. So far, she has written articles based on mental health, relationships, and other wellness-related topics. Currently, she is the fall 2024 entertainment and culture intern for Her Campus. She is a senior at the University of West Georgia, studying in public relations with a minor in music. After her undergrad, she plans to get a masters in public relations and work within the media industry. She also hopes to create her own foundation that will help with funding for the performing arts in schools. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, shopping, traveling to new places, and drinking iced coffee. She also enjoys playing the clarinet and listening to all types of music, specifically jazz.