Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian Barker have been married for more than four years, and the Blink-182 drummer says they follow one simple rule when disagreements happen. They try not to let anger follow them into the next day.
“We try not to ever fall asleep mad at each other,” Barker told PEOPLE in a new interview. The rule applies even when the disagreement is something as ordinary as a missed text or confusion over plans.
For Barker, the important part is restoring a sense of connection rather than proving who was right. He explained that acknowledging a mistake and apologizing can be enough to keep a minor frustration from lingering overnight.
Barker also emphasized the importance of taking space when necessary, making the couple’s approach less about forcing an immediate conversation and more about resolving tension without allowing it to damage their connection.
They Try to Resolve Even the Smallest Frustrations Before Bed
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Barker used an everyday example to explain how the rule works. If one of them expected to meet for lunch but missed a text, he said they would rather acknowledge the misunderstanding and clear it up than let something minor create distance between them.
He said an apology can be as simple as taking accountability for not seeing a message quickly enough. “Just resolving anything so you don’t go to bed not feeling connected is really important,” Barker told PEOPLE.
Barker also acknowledged that sometimes the healthier response is to give each other room. PEOPLE noted that he considers taking space when needed an important part of the relationship as well.
Their Relationship Grew Out of Years of Friendship
Barker and Kardashian were friends long before their relationship became romantic in 2021. Barker previously told PEOPLE that they were “workout buddies” who regularly exercised and ran together before they started dating. “It’s one of the main reasons we were so close,” Barker said of their shared interest in wellness.
Their friendship turned romantic in early 2021, and they became engaged later that year. The couple first held a Las Vegas ceremony in April 2022 that was not legally binding because they did not have a marriage license. They legally married in Santa Barbara on May 15, 2022, before holding a larger wedding celebration in Portofino, Italy, on May 22.
Barker and Kardashian welcomed their first child together, son Rocky Thirteen, in November 2023. Their blended family also includes Kardashian’s children Mason, Penelope and Reign with Scott Disick, along with Barker’s children Landon and Alabama with ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Barker also remains close to his stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya.
His New Documentary Shows How Family Changed His Story
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Barker’s comments arrive as he releases Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear, a documentary that was filmed over the course of nearly a decade. Directors Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer told PEOPLE earlier this year that Barker’s relationship with Kardashian became an important part of the film because they witnessed a new sense of peace emerge in his life.
Krook said the filmmakers once thought they had completed the documentary years earlier, only to realize Barker’s story had not yet reached its ending. His relationship with Kardashian, reconciliation with his Blink-182 bandmates and eventual return to flying helped reshape that conclusion.
The documentary also examines Barker’s rise in music and the lasting trauma from the deadly 2008 plane crash he survived. Barker developed a severe fear of flying after the crash and spent years avoiding planes before eventually confronting that fear. Barker has credited Kardashian and his children with supporting him during that process. He told PEOPLE that his wife has watched the documentary numerous times and that his family remained supportive throughout its long production.
According to Hulu, the 99-minute documentary debuts Aug. 13 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the United States, and on Disney+ internationally.