Kourtney Kardashian has been known to take a lot of flak from social media users. Whether it’s for her statements on carbon emissions or for wearing a Cannibal Corpse T-shirt, the eldest Kardashian sibling knows you can’t please everybody. However, with the announcement that Blink 182’s original members Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge and Mark Hoppus are reuniting for a world tour, the band’s fans — and one viral tweet in particular — have taken to thanking the reality TV star for her role in getting Barker comfortable enough to fly again.
Back in 2008, Travis Barker was one of six people aboard a private jet that crashed mid-takeoff in South Carolina, killing four. It’s no wonder the Blink 182 drummer avoided planes after that — at least until he struck up a romance with Kourtney Kardashian. He has credited his wife with helping him overcome that fear, thus allowing the upcoming tour, and the new Mrs. Barker's role did not go unnoticed by this Twitter user:
Who knew we’d all be thanking Kourtney Kardashian for helping Travis Barker overcome his flight anxiety and ultimately ENABLING the first Blink 182 ‘World Tour’ in 10+ years. The last time he toured in Europe he arrived by boat like a cholera riddled missionary from 1900.October 11, 2022
The tweet amusingly points out that a world tour wouldn’t likely be possible if Travis Barker were forced to sail around the world, as he supposedly arrived to his last European concert by boat. While the image of the drummer as a “cholera riddled missionary” caused quite a few to chuckle, the tweet also served as a teaching moment to a surprising number of fans, who didn’t realize Barker was even a member of Blink 182. One user commented:
this is the tweet that taught me that travis barker is in blink 182 and not just a random man the kardashians have brought into existence for drama
I suppose drummers aren’t always the most well-known members of a band, but many who saw admissions like the one above were left asking “What’s My Age Again?” since Travis Barker became famous as a member of Blink 182 at the turn of the century, when the only Kardashian anyone really knew was OJ Simpson’s defense attorney Robert, father to Kim Kardashian, et al. It would be whole decades before Barker became romantically involved with Kourtney Kardashian.
The musician has been open about how his now-wife helped him find the courage to fly again. Until they got together, he had refused to fly after the plane crash, in which two of his entourage died, as well as both pilots. The other survivor — Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein — died of a drug overdose a year later.
He said that after Kourtney Kardashian talked about wanting to travel the world together, Travis Barker made a deal with her that he would get back on a plane, as long as she gave him 24 hours notice. Whatever she did to help him through his trauma seems to have worked, and Blink 182 fans were thankful (although not overwhelmingly kind), with another comment on the viral tweet reading:
And here I am thinking all the Kardashians are useless lol
With Travis Barker planning to jet-set through the next year — Blink 182’s tour is scheduled to run from March 2023 to February 2024 — we’ll have to see if that means he’ll be featured less frequently on upcoming seasons of The Kardashians. For now, though, he can still be seen attached at his wife’s hip, in new episodes available each Thursday to fans with a Hulu subscription. Also be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what shows are coming soon to TV and streaming.
