Barry Keoghan Shares His Near-Death Experience on Friends Keep Secrets Podcast

Barry Keoghan has always been open about his life, but his recent appearance on the ‘Friends Keep Secrets’ podcast with Benny Blanco and Lil Dicky revealed a level of honesty that left listeners stunned.

The Irish actor discussed a near-fatal experience during his struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, recounting the vision he had while flatlined in a London hospital and the personal awakening that ultimately led him to sobriety.

Keoghan explained that this incident was triggered by a bottle injury that resulted in a serious infection just weeks before he began filming for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’. After being struck by a bottle, bacteria entered his bloodstream, causing necrotizing fasciitis, a rare and aggressive flesh-eating bacterial infection that can be deadly. He still bears a scar on his arm from the surgery that saved his life.

During this critical moment in London, Keoghan flatlined briefly, describing the experience as feeling “almost like a painting.” He envisioned open fields, a breeze, and a girl walking away who wouldn’t turn around no matter how often he called to her. Meanwhile, chaos ensued around him, which he later realized was the sensation of doctors working to revive him, interpreted in his vision as men stabbing him and trying to push him toward the other side.

He shared with the podcast hosts that he fought back in that vision, pleading to stay until he was finally told he could. The haunting nature of his story resonates deeply, paralleling the emotional intensity of his performances on screen, and it has clearly struck a chord with the many who have engaged with the episode online.

Keoghan also delved into the personal history behind his addiction, revealing that his mother died of a heroin overdose at 32, and his father also passed away. He underwent rehab three times before a significant shift occurred, which came when he realized he had reached the same age as his mother when she died. This realization became a pivotal moment for him.

He told Blanco and Lil Dicky that he has now been clean for two and a half years, expressing his current state with heartfelt sincerity. “I’m at peace now,” he said, noting that he feels present, content, and aware in a way that substance use had previously obscured.

The interview was recorded just ahead of what promises to be the busiest period of Keoghan’s career, as he is set to portray Ringo Starr in upcoming Beatles biographical films and has recently appeared in the ‘Peaky Blinders’ theatrical film. The candidness he brought to the podcast starkly contrasts with the larger-than-life roles he is currently taking on, reminding us that the most compelling aspect of Barry Keoghan has always been the person behind the performance.

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