Travis Barker’s Former Spouse Details Drummer’s Intense Drug Dependency

The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival ahead of its August 13 Hulu debut, features insights from Barker’s ex-wife, Shanna Moakler. She describes a period so volatile that the musician’s security team maintained a constant vigil throughout the night, monitoring his breathing to ensure he survived his own chemical intake. Barker himself confirms the severity of that era, noting that his reliance on painkillers and marijuana was fueled by a debilitating fear of flying while touring.

His trajectory shifted permanently following a 2008 private jet crash in South Carolina. The disaster claimed the lives of four people, including his assistant and security guard, leaving Barker with third-degree burns across 65% of his body. He spent three months in a Georgia hospital, undergoing 26 surgeries. Because his opioid tolerance had become dangerously high, the medical team struggled to manage his pain, leading to instances where he woke up during surgical procedures. Barker credits that near-death experience as his ultimate wake-up call; upon leaving the hospital, he flushed all remaining prescriptions, viewing the trauma as his own visceral version of rehab. Years of therapy and reflection have since helped him process the PTSD and survivor's guilt that shadowed him long after the flames were extinguished.