4 Times Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian Were Called Out for Their Over-the-Top PDA
Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian have made it clear that they don’t really care who sees their more affectionate moments. From the moment they went public with their romance, they’ve engaged in some pretty aggressive public displays of affection. Fans and followers have called them out for going too far multiple times, most recently just moments ago. Do you remember their most egregious PDA moments?
1. Their 2021 VMAs red carpet debut set the tone for their public image
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker made their red carpet debut as a couple at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. They made it very clear from that very first moment that they were going to be an overly affectionate pairing. The two couldn’t keep their hands or lips off each other while posing for photographers at Barclays Center.
Kardashian wore a black leather dress and Barker a shirtless suit jacket that bared his tattoos, as they kissed and canoodled for photographers. The PDA-heavy debut set the tone for the years that followed. Years into their romance, and they have not hit the brakes on their very public makeouts, no matter who feels uncomfortable with it.
2. They kept making out in public
In March 2022, just months after their engagement, Kardashian and Barker were photographed getting “hot and heavy” during a beach makeout session in Laguna Beach, California. Photos obtained by TMZ left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The pictures showed the two kissing in the sand, Kourtney straddling her lover as things got even steamier. They did the same during various events and while paparazzi stood by to capture their daily lives.
The pair even made time to make out while looking at houses during The Kardashians. The overt affection, fans argued, went past sweet and into performative territory long ago. If they are performing for the cameras, their family doesn’t know it, and they aren’t cool with it.
3. Kourtney’s kids have asked her to tone it down, too
The public has made their feelings clear about the couple’s over-the-top public lovefest. The Kardashian family isn’t okay with it, either. During an episode of The Kardashians, Kourtney’s own children begged their mother and Barker to stop kissing in front of them at the family dinner table.
Penelope and Reign, two of Kourtney’s three children with Scott Disick, called out their mother and Barker for the makeout session happening in front of them. The moment was played for laughs on the show, but the kids clearly were uncomfortable with what was happening in front of them. Kourtney and Travis have seemingly made no effort to stop embarrassing the kids, though.
4. The ‘Louder Than Fear’ premiere
The latest PDA criticism comes just after Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian turned another red carpet into their personal love nest. The pair appeared together at the premiere of Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, and there was no mistaking how into each other they still are.
In one video, Barker was captured grabbing his wife. In another odd moment, he was photographed licking her face. While Kardashian didn’t seem to mind, the world does. Fans were quick to take to social media to discuss the behavior, with one user calling the display a “true ick.”
Kardashian has addressed the criticism before, explaining in a 2022 Harper’s Bazaar interview that Barker helped her feel more comfortable with public affection by living as though “nobody exists” when they’re together. The explanation furthered discourse around how much Kardashian has changed, from her public behavior to her style choices, since linking up with Barker. She has clearly absorbed his persona, and fans aren’t sure if they love that for her.
