Travis Barker Recalls Text From Kourtney Kardashian That Transitioned Them From Friends to a Relationship

Travis Barker told the U.K.’s The Times that a text message from Kourtney Kardashian changed both their lives forever after they were friends for more than a decade. Barker, 50, recalled first befriending Kourtney’s younger sister, Kim, in the early 2000s when she worked as a wardrobe assistant for his then-girlfriend, socialite Paris Hilton.

The Blink-182 drummer grew up working class in Fontana, California, and later became friendly with the Kardashian family after moving near them in Calabasas, California, following his early success. “I mean, even when we first met, I was obviously tattooed from head to toe and in a band. I think that’s why I felt so comfortable being Kourtney’s friend because we were such opposites,” he told the paper. “I was like, ‘oh, I can think she’s cute or attractive or a great mom’ [Kourtney was mother to three children with her ex, Scott Disick] because we’re so different.”

Things changed in 2021 when Kourtney sent him a text message that he described as something crazy, moving them out of the friend zone. “I was like, ‘what?’ I had to look at my phone four times. I thought, there’s no way! I’d left any thoughts of us ever being anything more,” he said.

Barker recalled giving a mutual male friend dating advice about having fun, hooking up with women, and treating dating like a sport without getting too emotionally invested. “Try to find your bearings,” he told his friend.

Kourtney then texted him something to the effect of asking him to teach her how to find her bearings. He recalled thinking, “Oh my gosh,” and feeling scared because he did not want to ruin the relationship.

Following 15 years of friendship and closer contact during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, the couple went Instagram official in 2021. They married in 2022 across two ceremonies in California and Italy, and welcomed their first child together, son Rocky Thirteen Barker, in 2023.

Barker revealed last week that he was recently hospitalized for surgery to treat arm, hand, and finger numbness caused by a pinched nerve in his elbow, which required a cubital tunnel release procedure.