Barry Keoghan Denies Cheating on Sabrina Carpenter, Says Viral Rumor Was False

Barry Keoghan is finally setting the record straight on those Sabrina Carpenter cheating rumors ... and he says the whole thing was bogus.

The actor popped up on the latest episode of Benny Blanco's "Friends Keep Secrets" podcast alongside Lil Dicky and Kristin Batalucco ... where he opened up about why he pulled back from social media and public appearances amid speculation he was unfaithful to Sabrina.

Barry says he completely stepped away from Instagram, social events, and even hanging out in the public eye because he felt buried under a narrative he says wasn't true.

He explained ... "There was a narrative out there that was never really sort of even spoken on -- a narrative that's not true -- and I never confirmed or said anything about it. And I just disappeared."

That's when Lil Dicky jumped in and asked the obvious question -- whether the rumor about cheating was true -- and Barry didn't dodge it!

He confirmed that's exactly what people were accusing him of ... saying, "Yeah, that I cheated."

Barry added that dating in the public eye can quickly spiral ... saying rumors get "amplified" online, and pointed to a woman allegedly posted a video fueling the cheating claims -- only to later admit she made it up.

The pair famously took their romance public when Barry played Sabrina's troublemaking love interest in her "Please Please Please" music video -- a role that had fans obsessing long before breakup rumors took over.

As we reported, influencer Breckie Hill posted a video denying false claims that she was the homewrecker ... claiming she had been in the hospital after "getting into a skiing accident."

Still, Barry says he chose not to publicly blast anyone involved ... explaining he didn't want to pile onto the situation. The rumors swirled for months after fans speculated trouble in paradise between Barry and Sabrina ... but if you ask him, the cheating allegations were straight-up fiction. Now we can say ... "Nobody's Son" cheated on SC.