Long before he ever met Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker was famous all on his own. Thanks to his rise to fame as the drummer of Blink-182, Barker has his own legion of fans. They don’t necessarily appreciate Barker’s ties to the Kardashian family, but it turns out that the pair’s marriage might have overshadowed some not-so-glam parts of Travis’ past.
Travis Barker Has A Very Different Fan Base Than Kourtney Kardashian
When Blink-182 announced a mᴀssive tour for 2023, tons of fans took to social media to lament Kourtney’s potential involvement in the tour. Although she donned a band tee and a more rock style in advance of the concert series, Blink-182 fans weren’t convinced.
After so many years on a reality show, it seemed that Kourtney wasn’t the type of partner that Travis’ fans wanted for him. While the pair’s love story seems to not have any end, that didn’t mean anyone forgot about Barker’s earlier years.
His somewhat questionable history didn’t keep him from being in a punk rock band and gaining fame, but connecting with a Kardashian seems to have cleaned his image in some ways.
During His Divorce, Travis Barker Wasn’t On His Best Behavior
Kourtney Kardashian’s fans seemed largely thrilled when she fell in love with former friend Travis Barker. After so many years of back-and-forth with Scott Disick, they were happy to see Kourtney with someone who seemed to really treat her right and make her happy.
At the same time, Travis’ ex-wife Shanna Moakler was somewhat demonized. She made headlines for trying to sell her engagement ring from Travis right around the time he was getting remarried, which many saw as a way to put the attention back on herself.
Some of Shanna’s comments have also been used as fodder for gossip about how Travis’ ex is trying to meddle in his love life. Looking back, it does seem that the pair’s marriage was unhealthy. But it wasn’t only Shanna who wasn’t on her best behavior.
During their split, the two argued over custody and other issues, and one fight resulted in both of them being taken into custody. Each reported that the other had threatened them, but text messages from court documents suggested that Travis cussed out his ex, told her he hated her, and more when she refused to let their children go “for 3 months on a rock tour.”
Travis Barker Is Said To Have Threatened His Ex
Apparently, after various fights, things escalated to the point where Travis said something like “If I could, I’d put a bullet in your head.”
That resulted in the police being called and Travis being taken into custody for threatening his ex’s life.
Ultimately, neither was charged, but the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services got involved, and the family had an open case against them, investigating the welfare of the children.
Looking back, it’s easy to see why Travis and Shanna don’t necessarily get along today, apart from Travis’ relationship with Kourtney. But some fans suspect that it’s more Travis that’s the problem rather than Shanna.
After all, there have been some inklings that things aren’t quite right between Travis and Kourtney, with some suggesting Barker has been love-bombing his new wife. Not everyone is convinced their romance will last, or that it’s healthy, despite the two getting married and seemingly easily blending their families.
There’s also the theory that Travis originally moved to Los Angeles hoping to date Kim Kardashian rather than Kourtney. By his own admission, Travis had a crush on Kim around 2006 when he spent time with Paris Hilton and Kim, who was her ᴀssistant at the time.
Did Travis Barker Date Kim Kardashian?
Travis was married to Shanna then, but the two had temporarily split (they later reconciled, finally divorcing in 2008). His recounting of the story was that Shanna knew he had a crush on Kim but that nothing physical ever happened. That didn’t keep Shanna from throwing a drink on Kim at a party, wrote Travis, and that was apparently the end of that.
Fans of the Kardashians know that Travis wound up being a fairly close family friend, and he did feature on the family’s reality series at times. Since Travis and Kim both deny they ever got together, fans can only ᴀssume nothing happened, and that Travis meeting Kim just led to him getting to know the rest of their family.
As for Travis’ troubling past and all his issues with his ex, fans of all sides can only hope that Travis has truly changed. While his image as a punk rocker might have borne domestic violence accusations well, his new life in the public eye as Kourtney Kardashian’s husband may not be as forgiving.