Everyone thinks they know the story because they’ve seen the tattoos or watched the reality TV reruns. Travis Barker is the guy who famously survived a plane crash and then, years later, found a gothic fairytale ending with Kourtney Kardashian. But if you look back at the Travis Barker ex timeline, it’s not just a list of names. It’s a chaotic, loud, and sometimes heartbreaking journey through the early 2000s punk scene and the peak of MTV celebrity culture.
Honestly, the drama didn't start with the Kardashians. It started way back in 2001.
The Forgotten First Marriage: Melissa Kennedy
Most fans completely forget about Melissa Kennedy. Before the red carpets and the Meet the Barkers cameras, Travis was just a drummer on the rise with Blink-182. He married Melissa in September 2001. It was short. Like, blink-and-you-miss-it short. They were divorced by August 2002, lasting only nine months.
Travis eventually admitted in his autobiography, Can I Say, that he wasn't exactly ready for "forever" back then. He confessed to looking for other girls even on the night of his bachelor party. Rough. Melissa, for her part, has stayed almost entirely out of the spotlight since then. She swapped the rockstar lifestyle for a career in real estate and has basically been a ghost in the tabloids for twenty years. You’ve gotta respect the pivot. While Travis was getting her name tattooed on his neck, she was planning a life that didn’t involve being "the drummer's wife."
Later, he covered up her name with a rose. Typical rockstar move.
Shanna Moakler: The Relationship That Never Really Ended
If Melissa was a quiet chapter, Shanna Moakler was a goddamn explosion. Shanna, a former Miss USA, met Travis in the summer of 2002. By 2004, they were married in a Nightmare Before Christmas-themed wedding that felt perfectly "on brand" for the mid-aughts.
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Then came the reality show. Meet the Barkers showcased their life with their kids—Landon, Alabama, and Shanna's daughter Atiana De La Hoya. But what looked like "couple goals" for the emo kids was actually a mess behind the scenes.
The MySpace Wars and the Plane Crash
When Travis filed for divorce in 2006, they didn't go to a lawyer first; they went to MySpace. They aired every single piece of dirty laundry. He accused her of being lazy; she accused him of being unfaithful. It was the first time we really saw a celebrity breakup happen in real-time on social media.
Then, the 2008 plane crash happened.
It changed everything. Shanna rushed to his side while he was in the burn unit. They tried to make it work again. They even thought about a second wedding. But the trauma and the old baggage were too heavy. They finally finalized the divorce in 2008, but they actually continued to live together—in separate rooms—until 2014 to co-parent. Can you imagine the tension in that kitchen?
The Transition Years: Paris, Rita, and a Crush on Kim
Between the Shanna drama and the Kourtney era, Travis had a string of "blink and you'll miss it" romances. There was the brief, high-octane fling with Paris Hilton in 2006 that reportedly led to a physical altercation between Shanna and Paris at a club.
Then there was Rita Ora in 2015. That one lasted maybe three weeks. Travis later said he just didn't have the desire to be in a relationship 24/7. He was focused on his sobriety and his kids.
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Interestingly, there’s the "Kim factor." Travis has been open about having a massive crush on Kim Kardashian back in the day when she was Paris Hilton’s assistant. Shanna has even claimed that an affair between Travis and Kim was the real reason their marriage ended, though both Kim and Travis have denied it for years.
Where Things Stand in 2026
Fast forward to now. The dust has mostly settled, but "mostly" is a strong word. Shanna has been vocal about her distaste for the "Kravis" PDA, calling it weird and accusing the Kardashians of creating a wedge between her and her children.
Meanwhile, Travis’s kids, Landon and Alabama, are adults now. They’ve clearly chosen their side, appearing frequently on The Kardashians and seemingly bonding deeply with their step-mom. It’s a complicated family dynamic that proves fame doesn't make co-parenting any easier.
What We Can Learn From the Barker History
If you’re looking at the Travis Barker ex history for lessons, here’s the reality:
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- Tattoos aren't permanent, but memories are. Covering up a name with a rose doesn't erase the years of history behind it.
- Living together for the kids is a gamble. Sometimes it provides stability; other times, it just prolongs the inevitable.
- Public breakups leave long shadows. Even decades later, the things said on MySpace or in old interviews still haunt the present-day relationships.
If you want to understand the current "Kravis" era, you have to realize that Travis spent twenty years looking for a partner who could match his intensity without the toxicity of his 20s. Whether you love or hate the new version of Travis, his past with Shanna and Melissa is exactly what shaped the man we see today.
Check out Travis Barker's autobiography Can I Say for the raw, unedited version of these stories directly from him. It’s a heavy read, but it explains a lot about why he’s so protective of his current peace.
Actionable Insight: When navigating a complex co-parenting situation or looking back at a "toxic" past, the best move is often the "Melissa Kennedy approach": build an identity and a career that exists entirely outside of your former partner's shadow. Peace is usually found in the places the cameras can't see.