Fans fear for Kourtney Kardashian as Travis Barker is accused of cheating & red flag ‘controlling’ behaviour
I HAVE always loved The Kardashians and Blink 182, so when Kourtney started dating drummer Travis Barker, I couldn’t have been happier for the pair.
But three years on from their boozy Vegas wedding, I’m starting to see their relationship in a very different light. As the internet swirls with unsubstantiated rumours he’s been unfaithful, I can reveal that those close to the reality star are concerned for her wellbeing amid fears she’s been ‘brainwashed’.
Travis Barker and Kourntey Kardashian have sparked debate with their relationshipCredit: Getty
The couple are known for their very public displays of affectionCredit: Social Media
Travis insisted Kourtney run a 5k despite her saying she didn’t want to and telling him she was going to ‘throw up’ half way through. See the awkward moment in the video belowCredit: Hulu/ The Kardashians
After months of mounting speculation about the nature of their relationship, things reached boiling point when Travis was accused of forcing Kourtney, 46, to run 5k.
In incredibly uncomfortable scenes from a recent episode of The Kardashians – which insiders claim is actually just the tip of the iceberg – the rock star, 50, was seen gripping her hand when she said she didn’t want to run.
The star, who gave birth to their son Rocky two years ago, could be heard telling him she might ‘pass out’ or ‘throw up’.
She is completely blinded by him and is so desperate to please him.
Insider
At one point she begged him: “If you let me drink some water, I’ll keeping running with you.”
An insider told us: “The clip has understandably caused a lot of upset. It gave people what they believe is a real insight into their relationship.
“Any runner would tell you there is no way they would have been going the same pace and it was cruel to make her keep up.
“Afterwards she thanked him for pushing her. It seems to be a recurring theme in their marriage – she is completely blinded by him and is so desperate to please him.
“From the beginning it’s all been an intoxicating whirlwind and she’s been swept up in the world of Travis.”
Certified and multi-award-winning sex and relationship coach Gemma Nice believes his behaviour is highly concerning.
She told us: “With the 5km run, this looked to me like it was his way or the highway, so to speak. This isn’t very good communication between the two as one person is not listening and the other feels unheard and unseen, especially when she said she felt sick or that she may pass out.
“All of these are major red flags, which are all being ignored. It seems with the power dynamic that he is grooming her.”
Shortly after the run aired, rumours started circulating online that Travis had cheated with a woman close to the age of his daughter Alabama, 19. There is no evidence at all to substantiate this claim.
But it’s the latest drama to rock their marriage, which has been built on years of friendship.
HOT AND STEAMY
Almost overnight in 2021 things went up a notch and that friendship turned passionate.
They married in Vegas in April 2022, Kourtney was so tipsy she was being propped up – and then they spent a year trying to conceive their miracle baby Rocky, who was born in 2023.
Meanwhile, she underwent a total style makeover, mimicking Travis’ grunge look with band T-shirts and skeleton onesies.
It was all a far cry from Kourtney’s on-again, off-again long-term relationship with Scott Disick, the father of her three older children, and fans soon commenting on how different she had become.
One person wrote: “I think Travis might be a very clever manipulator and narcissist and has love bombed and brainwashed Kourtney.”
Kourtney was very tipsy when she married Travis in VegasCredit: Clemente Ruiz/@Clemente_310
They had a second wedding in Italy, which was aired on their showCredit: Hulu
As they shared more of their relationship, the couple were repeatedly slammed for their PDAs and for bragging about their sex life on social media.
Viewers were left horrified after seeing Kourtney “grinding” on Travis in front of a realtor during a house tour in one of the first episodes he appeared in.
Travis also came under fire for jokingly playing the drums on Kourtney’s butt and legs in front of her daughter Penelope, nine.
Sex coach Gemma believes the fact he is hypersexual may be “a coping mechanism to deal with the trauma from his past”.
As a teen, Travis’ mother died from leukemia the day before he started high school, which had a lasting impact on him.
Then, in 2008, he was one of two survivors in a devastating plane crash, which saw two other passengers and two pilots die. He suffered severe burns over 65% of his body and was left with a fear of flying and PTSD.
Less than a year later, the only other survivor – his best friend DJ AM – tragically died from a drug overdose.
Gemma explained: “When things get tough, [sex can be] a way to keep the body in a calm state. Most of the time we are in fight or flight mode and here, especially with the trauma he has been through, his body is needing to be calm.
The pair are quite happy to kiss in front of whoever – even their kidsCredit: Hulu
Fans are concerned that Kourtney is being controlled by her husbandCredit: Hulu
“When you have sex, it releases calming hormones – the dopamine hit especially can make you feel so alive.
“Travis has said in the past he has done risky behaviours and now he is trying to recreate that again with hypersexual activity.
“He might be experiencing anxiety or the need to control his thoughts, and the use of sex can help with that.”
Before Kourtney, Travis was married to model Shanna Moakler, who this month accused him of “recreating” their relationship with Kourtney.
“She dresses like him, wants to be around him all the time, but she doesn’t seem to her own personality
Relationship expert Gemma Nice
Shanna, who shares two children with Travis, took to TikTok to comment on his marriage to the reality star, calling it “weird”, in response to a fan asking how she felt about them dressing up as the couple from The Nightmare Before Christmas – which was the theme of their 2004 wedding.
She commented: “I think the entire relationship where they completely re-created our relationship is weird and I’ve said that from the beginning, but I was called bitter.”
Shanna’s certainly not the only one who finds it all rather unsettling.
In a more recent episode of The Kardashians, Travis was asked to say the things he likes about his wife.
He said: “She’s a good kisser. She’s got nice feet. She’s got great hygiene.”
His answer rang alarm bells with fans, with one commenting: “He mentioned NOTHING about Kourtney as a person or her personality/individuality, mostly is the things that she does for him, almost (except the hygiene and flossing thing).”
Their on-air antics have raised eyebrows and Travis has been accused of being hypersexualCredit: HULU
Travis is often seen kissing Kourtney on the show or the red carpetCredit: Hulu
Another said: “When asked to consider his favorite things about her, his mind seems to go primarily to his physical relationship to her body.”
Expert Gemma tells us: “Kourtney might be going along with everything Travis says and does because she wants to avoid conflict and she may enjoy the power he holds over her.
“She dresses like him, wants to be around him all the time, does everything that he does but she doesn’t seem to have her own hobbies or her own personality, which stands out.
“She might be codependent on him to feel secure. I see this a lot in my coaching.”
It’s no secret that Kourtney has always struggled to be heard amongst her very famous and successful family. It took her years to find a passion away from them and she has openly struggled with filming the reality show for years.
She lost her father, Robert Kardashian, at a young age before being catapulted to fame almost overnight while learning to live with a new step dad.
And her relationship with Scott Disick – who she was with from 2006-2015 – left a lot to be desired, with his drinking and partying causing endless arguments between the pair.
Her union with Travis looked to be the final piece to her puzzle, and she really did seem to have found her happy ever after.
But as season seven of The Kardashian airs, I can’t help but notice that Kourtney’s sparkle has dulled somewhat – and I’m no longer sure that Travis is the key to her happiness after all.
Kourtney with her ex Scott Disick, with whom she shares three kidsCredit: Getty – Contributor
Travis plays the drums for Blink 182Credit: Getty
