Travis Barker on ‘The Kardashians’: “I’m an Accessory”

Travis Barker has spent decades in front of cameras, but he draws a clear line between filming a reality show and actually participating in one. Speaking with The New York Times’ Popcast to promote his upcoming documentary Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, the blink-182 drummer said he doesn’t “even realize” he’s on The Kardashians, the Hulu series that has featured him since he began dating now-wife Kourtney Kardashian.

“I don’t watch the show,” Barker said. “I think the best way for me to deal with stuff like that or to be part of things like that is to not really acknowledge that I’m being filmed or that anything different’s happening.” He added that he never approves episodes and described his role bluntly: “I’m an accessory.”

The comment underscores a quiet shift in Barker’s relationship with reality TV. Twenty years ago, he was a central figure on MTV’s Meet the Barkers, which documented his marriage to Shanna Moakler and their young family. On The Kardashians, he appears as a supporting presence, often seen in the background of Kourtney’s life rather than driving storylines himself. The approach seems intentional, a way to stay adjacent to the franchise without letting it reshape his public identity.

Elsewhere in the interview, Barker confirmed that blink-182 are working on a new album. His documentary premieres on Hulu August 13th.