Tragic Details About Travis Barker's Daughter Alabama

The following article includes discussions of mental health.

Travis Barker's kids live insanely lavish lives, but being the children of celebrities isn't necessarily always easy. Alabama Barker, whom the Blink-182 drummer shares with Shanna Moakler, has enjoyed the advantages that come with having famous parents, but she has also faced its consequences. Alabama has seen the ugly side of growing up in the spotlight through the vicious attacks of online trolls. Since she was young, she has suffered online bullying, which escalated after she experienced weight gain related to a thyroid condition.

The situation became so difficult to handle that she resorted to taking weight-loss medication to avoid the backlash. That's not the only health struggle Alabama has faced. She has suffered from anxiety for most of her life, a condition that is exacerbated by another mental health disorder known as derealization. Additionally, she reportedly suffered a medical emergency in 2024 when she experienced nicotine withdrawal symptoms. Because she came of age under the limelight's glare, her personal life has also unfolded in the public eye.

That includes her ups and downs with Moakler, as she doesn't have a typical mother-daughter relationship with her. Alabama has suggested Moakler has been an absent parent, claims supported by her brother, Landon Barker. They have seemingly reconciled since the drama hit the news in 2021. Despite her complicated relationship with Moakler, Alabama was close to her maternal grandparents. Losing both of them within months in 2023 hit her hard. All of this happened before Alabama reached age 20, so for a teenager, she has been through quite a bit already.

Alabama Barker may live a life of privilege, but her parents' wealth and fame haven't prevented her from developing a mental health condition. In a 2023 YouTube Q&A, Alabama revealed she has struggled with anxiety for most of her life. "People don't really put a lot of light on that with influencers or celebrities. They don't really care or they don't really get it," she said. "They're like, 'How could you have anxiety?'"

Alabama highlighted how anxiety can affect anyone, as it's not attached to social status or wealth. "It's hard; it's scary," she said. "If you struggle with it, know you're not alone. It's tough, and I feel you." In early 2024, Alabama also hinted that she suffers from derealization disorder, a mental health condition that causes detachment from the surroundings and a feeling that patients are watching themselves. That January, she uploaded a TikTok video of herself lying in bed with the words "That derealization a mf" over it (via The U.S. Sun).

Alabama isn't the only Barker to suffer from it. In 2022, Landon Barker shared a vulnerable update on his mental health, revealing he also struggles with the condition. "My derealization has been really bad and I just wanna come on here and tell everyone your [sic] not alone and we are all imperfect in our own ways," Alabama's older brother wrote on his Instagram Stories, noting that derealization symptoms can be associated with anxiety disorder (via Page Six). 

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Alabama Barker may still be a teenager at the time of this writing, but a reported vaping habit has already shown its ugly side in her life. In 2024, Barker was said to have been rushed to the hospital after she experienced what turned out to be nicotine withdrawal symptoms, TMZ reported in December. Alabama, who had recently celebrated her 19th birthday, reportedly stopped vaping cold turkey as she became more serious about becoming a rapper. She made the decision after learning about the effects of nicotine on the vocal cords.

According to sources, Barker was unaware of what had caused her to feel unwell and experienced symptoms similar to those of an anxiety attack. She called 911 herself and was taken to a local hospital in Los Angeles. However, she denied the TMZ report, though she admitted she had been hospitalized earlier. "I just want to clarify that I was not in the hospital this month or last. The situation occurred some time ago," she wrote on Instagram (via People).

She seemingly confirmed she had suffered from nicotine withdrawal without mentioning vaping specifically. "I was there for about three hours before being discharged," she added. "They provided me with a nicotine patch and an inhaler, and that's all." While Barker has been releasing music since she was 12, she didn't become as invested until 2024, with the release of "Vogue." "I've been influenced by rap my entire upbringing and punk rock," she said in a since-deleted TikTok video (via People).

Alabama Barker is no stranger to online body-shaming. She has been receiving hate messages on social media since she was at least 16. "I'm a human being. I have feelings, no matter how many times you guys think that I just scroll past comments and I don't read the hurtful DMs, I completely do," she revealed in a since-deleted TikTok clip from 2022 (via Yahoo! Life). But it became increasingly worse in the following years, as she put on some weight.

In 2023, she addressed the fat-shaming she had been a victim of in an attempt to defend her current body. "Paparazzi will purposely take pictures of you with your mouth open, middle of a sentence, and any ugly picture they can get of you just for the views," she said in a TikTok video. The unflattering photos made her look like she gained more weight than she actually did. "You guys also act like I've gained 1,000 pounds. It's like 5, 10 pounds, which is so normal for a lot of girls. Weight fluctuates," she added.

Alabama also revealed she suffers from an unspecified autoimmune condition that affects her thyroid, which caused her weight gain. Even though she has a health condition, the influencer struggled with the constant body-shaming and took drastic measures to address her situation. "I'm on weight-loss medication because I'm tired of being fat and photographing like a damn ogre," she said in another video. 

Alabama has had a rocky relationship with Shanna Moakler over the years, a drama that has been lived out in the public eye. Alabama hasn't been shy about criticizing Moakler's parenting, going so far as to suggest she was a neglectful mother. "My mom has never completely been in my life. Can you guys stop painting her out to be an amazing mom?" she said on Instagram in 2021 (via Us Weekly). "Did your moms ask to see you on Mother's Day [because] mine didn't? I'm done keeping it a secret, reality shows."

Alabama's claim was backed by Landon Barker, who said in a TikTok clip that "[Moakler] isn't in [their] lives like [Travis Barker is]." The former Playboy model labeled her children's claims as "completely ridiculous" and later denied she was an absent parent. "I'm not really sure why my kids put that out there," she told Us Weekly. "I'm their mother. I love them. It's hurtful and heartbreaking to have your kids say that when ... clearly that's false. It's a false claim."

Alabama and her mother had reconciled by March 2022, when Moakler shared a selfie with her to her Instagram Stories (via Daily Mail). Moakler has attributed her kids' disconnect from her to Travis' relationship with Kourtney Kardashian, whom she claims pitted them against her. "I removed myself so that they couldn't bond with my children over hating me," she said on the "Dumb Blonde" podcast in 2024.

Alabama Barker lost both of her grandparents, Gail and John Moakler, within just seven months. Shanna Moakler's mom died in January 2023, while her father died that August. Alabama mourned their deaths but noted that their being together again brought her comfort. "It was hard to [lose] both of you in one year, but today my grandpa went up to heaven," she wrote in her Instagram Stories (via The Sun). "I love you both very dearly, both of you! I hope you are reunited & finally at relief. Till we meet again."

Shortly after her grandfather's death, Alabama honored both Gail and John with a cross tattoo on her finger. "For my grandparents," she wrote in an Instagram Story showcasing the ink (via People). Shanna reacted to the post, highlighting Alabama's relationship with her grandparents. "They loved you so much..." she wrote. Alabama had a close bond with Gail and John, which became evident when they helped care for her and Landon Barker in the aftermath of Travis Barker's tragic 2008 plane crash.

"I am going to L.A. to be with the children so that [Shanna] can devote time to Travis," Gail told People, explaining that her daughter had flown to be by her ex-husband's side as he was in critical condition. Her job involved helping deliver the news to the kids at the appropriate time. "We're waiting a bit to see what God brings," she said.