Travis Barker has spoken out regarding inappropriate messages sent to his 13-year-old daughter. The former Blink 182 drummer said he was “disgusted” by the “predatory behavior” from Graham Sierota, a fellow drummer for an indie-pop band, Echosmith. Barker’s daughter shared screenshots of the conversation in which Sierota invites her to parties and repeatedly calls her “beautiful.”
Travis’ daughter, Alabama, reminded him that she was “a child.”
The messages go back to 2016, where Sierota says “Btw I’m Graham from Echosmith and I think ur [sic] beautiful.” Alabama was just 10 years old at the time.
She shared the messages on her Instagram story.
Then, this month, Graham messaged her again, inviting her to a BBQ at his home. Alabama responded to the invite, saying, “Ur [sic] like 40.” Graham replied, “I just wanted to say I really like your music and sorry for messaging and I’m 20.”
Speaking to the Blast, Travis said: “When I found out a 20-year-old man was trying to get in touch with my 13-year-old daughter by filling her messages with party invites and compliments, I was disgusted. That’s predatory behavior, and there is nothing cool, normal, or OK about it at all.”
Since the scandal, Sierota has publicly apologised, claiming he was unaware of Barker’s age: “I’m really sorry and feel very badly about this. I didn’t realise she was a minor and assumed she was my age. I made a careless mistake and this is a big lesson for me. I would like to apologise again to Alabama, her dad Travis, and her family.”
Echosmith, a band comprising of three Sierota siblings have issued a statement as well as their parents, saying: “as a child, Graham was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has difficulty understanding social cues.”
“We have never publicly addressed this in the past, but given the events of the last few days, we feel compelled to speak out now to offer some additional context and insight into the unfortunate misunderstandings that occurred and clear up the deeply hurtful mischaracterisations of Graham,” the statement continued with, “As a child, Graham was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He has difficulty understanding social cues.
“Graham’s challenges have always been a non-issue in our family. In fact, it is a truly beautiful and wonderful thing that makes Graham the amazing brother, son and friend that he is. His outlook on life inspires us every day. He’ll be the first one to say “today is gonna be the best day ever,” or, “you’re my best friend and you look amazing today.” He sees the world as the happiest place, where everyone is a potential friend, and he wants everyone to feel included.”