The messages allegedly date back to 2016, when Alabama was just 10 years old.
Travis Barker is not here for any creepy DMs, especially when they involve one of his kids.
The Blink-182 drummer spoke out on Thursday, after learning that Echosmith drummer Graham Sierota, 20, was sending direct messages to his 13-year-old daughter, Alabama Luella Barker, via Instagram.
"When I found out a 20-year-old man was trying to get in touch with my 13-year-old daughter by filling her Instagram messages with party invites and compliments, I was disgusted," Travis, who shares Alabama and 15-year-old Landon Barker with ex Shanna Moakler, said in a statement to The Blast. "That’s predatory behavior and there is nothing cool, normal or OK about it at all."
According to the outlet, Alabama recently shared since-deleted messages she allegedly received from Graham to her Instagram page, dating all the way back to 2016 when she was just 10 years old. Graham has since issued an apology to Alabama, along with the following statement to ET via his rep:
"I had invited Alabama to my parents' big family BBQ along with many other people, and it wasn't until she responded that I realized her age at which point I apologized to her. I'm really sorry and feel very badly about this. I didn't realize she was a minor and assumed she was my age. I made a careless mistake and this is a big lesson for me. I would like to apologize again to Alabama, her dad Travis, and her family."
On Friday, Graham's family also released a statement of their own, revealing that, as a child, the musician was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and has difficulty understanding social cues.
"We have never publicly addressed this in the past, but given the events of the last few days, we feel compelled to speak out now to offer some additional context and insight into the unfortunate misunderstandings that occurred and clear up the deeply hurtful mischaracterizations of Graham," the statement read. "Graham's challenges have always been a non-issue in our family. In fact, it is a truly beautiful and wonderful thing that makes Graham the amazing brother, son and friend that he is. His outlook on life inspires us every day. He'll be the first one to say 'Today is gonna be the best day ever,' or, 'You’re my best friend and you look amazing today.' He sees the world as the happiest place, where everyone is a potential friend, and he wants everyone to feel included."
"One very recent Christmas, we hosted a holiday party at our home, and had athletes, musicians, artists, and models show up, and we were very confused until they happily told us 'Graham reached out on social media and invited us!'" the statement continued. "Anyone who has ever met Graham will agree, he is the friendliest and most kind-hearted, welcoming person in the world. We understand that his interactions were misinterpreted and misunderstood in the confusing world of social media, and we are deeply sorry. Graham certainly never meant to make anyone feel uncomfortable."
The family concluded the statement by saying they will continue to work with Graham "to have the right tools and knowledge about social boundaries, and to better navigate and utilize social media while he takes a break from it. We hope anyone who's been affected, and in turn felt uncomfortable, can accept our deepest apologies."
Alabama also took to her Instagram Story on Friday to put out a message saying she forgives Graham for his wrongdoing. "Hey guys! I am posting on behalf of the drummer of Echosmith!" she wrote. "He had dmed me a while back in 2016 and then once again in July saying I was beautiful and invited me to a bbq at his house. He is very sorry about the situation and regretful."
"I forgive him and would like for this all to be over," she added.
Last October, Alabama exclusively debuted her second official single, "Heartbreaker," and its accompanying music video with ET. During our interview, she opened up about what it was like having her famous father as her mentor.
"My dad always helps in any way he can," she shared. "He does a good job of guiding me and my brother, Landon, with music and life in general."
A year prior, Alabama also stopped by ET's Los Angeles studio, where she discussed her popular Instagram page, which currently boasts over 294,000 followers.
"I [like to] see what my friends are doing and what their social media is like," she said at the time. "I feel like by getting those Instagram followers, you have to work up to it; it took a long time."
"I used to post the ugliest photos ... and then I got better and better, and then I got more followers and engaged a bit more," she continued, telling ET that she likes to "use a lot of contrast" when editing her pics. "I feel like that can bring up the momentum in it."
Hear more in the video below.
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