Travis Barker talks past feelings for Kim Kardashian, how Kourtney 'healed' fear of flying

Travis Barker is getting real about past traumas and his relationship with Kourtney Kardashian.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Sunday, the Blink-182 drummer discussed his career, the 2008 plane crash that had a significant impact on his life, how he got together with Kardashian on her family's Hulu show, resurfaced comments about Kim Kardashian and more.

Barker, 47, and Kourtney Kardashian, 44, had been close friends for a decade, he told the outlet, often working out together since they both lived minutes away from each other. He said he was too reserved to make the first move, but when they drank some tequila after she invited him over for a movie night he started to pick up a vibe from her.

But he said he felt she should make the first move, thinking, "Nah, it's on you."

Barker and the Poosh founder made things Instagram official for Valentine's Day 2021 before getting engaged in October 2021 and tying the knot in Italy in May 2022.

Barker has appeared on the Kardashians' reality show regularly, including for his proposal to Kourtney Kardashian, their struggles with IVF and their three extravagant weddings, which Barker said were shot on iPhones and not initially meant for public consumption.

Barker also commented about appearing on the show and his and Kardashian's approach to fame.

"Celebrity is not my identity. Or Kourt's," he said in the interview. "She's so different than her sisters."

Travis Barker on past feelings for Kim Kardashian

Amid Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian's ongoing feud, fans have uncovered passages from Barker's 2016 memoir "Can I Say," in which he discusses his attraction to Kim, 43.

They first met in 2006, when Barker was dating Paris Hilton, he writes. Kim was working as Hilton's closet organizer, and even though he was with Hilton, he "kept on secretly checking out Kim," telling a friend at the time, "I don’t care if she's the closet girl" and calling her "hot."

Barker has maintained that nothing physical ever happened between him and Kim, however his ex-wife Shanna Moakler disputes this. In the interview, he denied that Kourtney Kardashian was upset by the relationship.

"It's like, 'Kourtney's fans are worried about Travis. He's a womanizer.' Stop it. I obviously shared all that stuff because I wanted to move past it. It was therapeutic for me," Barker told the LA Times. "That's her sister. She knows we used to talk. You give people a little information and they think they've solved the mystery of 'this is why they’re fighting.' It’s just so ridiculous."

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Kourtney Kardashian helped Travis Barker overcome trauma from flying

Barker survived a plane crash in 2008, which left four people dead and 65% of his body with third-degree burns. After, he avoided flying for 13 years, until a trip with Kourtney Kardashian.

"With you anything is possible," he captioned an Instagram photo of him holding her in front of a jet in August 2021.

Barker survived the plane crash with his DJ, the late DJ AM. Two of their friends and two pilots died in the crash.

Kourtney Kardashian andTravis Barker's relationship timeline, including fertility journey

After jumping into a jet wing, Barker's body was engulfed in fuel and caught fire. He endured 26 surgeries and skin grafts over the next three months in the hospital.

The traumatic experience also affected his children, he shared. But Barker said they finally began pushing through the trauma and anxiety of flying with the help of Kardashian.

"I think the power of love really helped me," he said. "Kourt made it so I fly, my kids fly now. She healed us."