Hollywood is a small town. Honestly, it's more like a fishbowl where everyone eventually ends up swimming in the same circles, and usually, dating the same people. But when Aubrey O'Day—the Danity Kane singer who has never been one to bite her tongue—casually dropped a bomb about Travis Barker and Kim Kardashian, the internet basically lost its collective mind.
It wasn't even a press release or a big "tell-all" interview at first. It was just a story about a bad Fourth of July.
Back in 2020, Aubrey shared a memory on Instagram that felt like a fever dream. She described being "BFFs" with Kim Kardashian back in the day, specifically around 2007 or 2008. The scene? A July 4th celebration that ended with Aubrey and Kim sitting on a patch of grass in Calabasas watching fireworks because they were stuck in traffic.
But the detail that caught everyone’s eye wasn't the fireworks. It was the claim that Kim was "hooking up" with Travis Barker at the time.
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The Kim, Travis, and Aubrey Connection
You’ve gotta remember the timeline here. This was the era of Juicy Couture tracksuits and Blackberry Messengers. Aubrey was at the height of her Danity Kane fame, and Kim was still mostly known as Paris Hilton’s stylist and friend.
According to Aubrey, they were all hanging out at Travis Barker's house. She even threw in a wild detail about Travis's ex-wife, Shanna Moakler, allegedly threatening to slash Kim’s tires. Aubrey's take? "I would have too."
It’s messy. It’s chaotic. It’s peak 2000s Hollywood.
The reason this matters—and the reason people still search for "Aubrey O'Day and Travis" years later—is because of where everyone is now. Travis is now married to Kourtney Kardashian, Kim’s older sister. If Aubrey is telling the truth, it means Travis had a thing with one sister before marrying the other.
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Why the Rumors Stick
Most people get this wrong: they think it's just Aubrey being "messy" for clout. But the story actually has multiple layers of confirmation (and denial) from other sources.
- Shanna Moakler's Side: Travis’s ex-wife has gone on record multiple times claiming that Travis and Kim had an affair while they were still married. She even cited this as one of the reasons for their divorce in 2008.
- Travis's Memoir: In his 2015 book Can I Say, Travis actually admits he had a massive crush on Kim. He describes her as "eye candy" and says they hung out, but he maintains they never actually crossed the line.
- Kim’s Denial: Kim has consistently denied any romantic involvement with Travis, claiming they were just friends who met through Paris.
Aubrey’s version of events is the one that bridges the gap between "just friends" and "secret affair." She doesn't have a reason to lie about a decade-old Fourth of July, which is why her comments carry so much weight with fans of the Kardashian-Barker lore.
The Recent Podcast Bombshell
Fast forward to late 2024 and early 2025. Aubrey sat down for a raw, unfiltered interview on Bunnie Xo’s Dumb Blonde podcast. If you haven't heard it, it's intense. She didn't just talk about Travis; she went after the entire industry, from P. Diddy to Donald Trump Jr.
But when the topic of the Kardashians came up, she doubled down. Aubrey basically said that the "reality" we see on TV isn't the reality she lived through. She described her time with Kim as being on "Kim's time always."
She recalled the Fourth of July incident again, mentioning how Kim complained about being on a yacht with Paris Hilton the year before, only to be sitting on grass with Aubrey that year. It paints a picture of a friendship that was less about genuine connection and more about the climb to the top.
What Most People Get Wrong
There is a common misconception that Aubrey O'Day and Travis Barker were the ones dating.
Let's clear that up: there is zero evidence they ever had a thing. Aubrey has always spoken of Travis with respect, calling him "dope" and a "gentleman." Her role in this story is the witness, not the protagonist. She was the one in the passenger seat of the Range Rover while the drama unfolded.
The "Travis" in Aubrey’s own romantic history is actually Travis Garland, an R&B singer she dated years ago. People often conflate the two because they share a name and were both in the orbit of the mid-2000s pop scene.
The Reality of "Incestuous" Hollywood
It sounds harsh, but the celebrity dating pool is tiny. Aubrey’s comments highlight how interconnected these lives are. You have Travis Barker, who was friends with Paris Hilton, who employed Kim Kardashian, who was best friends with Aubrey O'Day.
When you look at it that way, it’s almost inevitable that these stories overlap.
The nuance here is that Aubrey isn't just "spilling tea." She's pointing out the performative nature of celebrity friendships. To her, the fact that Kim was reportedly with Travis isn't just a gossip point—it's a symptom of a world where everything is calculated for the camera.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're trying to separate fact from social media fiction in the Aubrey/Travis/Kim saga, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Source Timing: Aubrey's most "viral" claims usually surface when she's doing long-form podcasts. These provide more context than a 15-second TikTok clip.
- Look at the Memoir: If you want Travis's side, read his book Can I Say. He’s surprisingly honest about his attraction to Kim, even if he denies the "hookup" part.
- Acknowledge the Bias: Everyone in this story has a brand to protect. Kim protects the "family first" image. Aubrey protects her "truth-teller" image. The real story usually sits somewhere in the middle.
The saga of Aubrey O'Day and the various "Travis" figures in her life serves as a reminder that in the world of the 2000s elite, no secret stays buried forever. Whether it’s a deleted Instagram story or a deep-dive podcast, the truth has a way of resurfacing just when things seem to have calmed down.
To understand the full scope of Aubrey's career and her various industry feuds, looking into the history of Danity Kane's "Making the Band" era provides the necessary background on why she is so vocal today. You can also track the timeline of Travis Barker's various high-profile relationships through his public discography, which often mirrors his personal life.