Emilie Kiser says son should have worn life jacket on boat
Emilie Kiser responded after a Mallorca boat video showed her toddler Teddy without a life jacket, a year after son Trigg drowned.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Emilie Kiser says her toddler should have worn a life jacket for an entire boat ride after an online video from a Mallorca trip drew criticism of the influencer and her family.
The backlash centered on Kiser’s 16-month-old son, Teddy, who appeared on a boat without a life jacket in a clip posted by fellow influencer Madi Curtis, according to TMZ. Curtis had shared a compilation video from a group trip last month with Kiser, Teddy, Kiser’s husband Brady and Curtis’ family.
Kiser addressed the criticism on Instagram Stories, writing that Teddy “should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride,” including the brief time he was seen without it.
“We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better,” Kiser wrote, according to TMZ.
Why is Emilie Kiser being criticized over a life jacket?
The video landed in a painful context for Kiser’s family. Her 3-year-old son, Trigg, was found unresponsive in the family’s backyard pool in May 2025, TMZ reported. He was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital and died six days later.
After the Mallorca clip circulated, Kiser said her family faced “a deep level of anger” online. She wrote that the reaction stemmed from the belief that Trigg “should still be here,” according to TMZ.
“He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more,” Kiser wrote. “That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.”
A life jacket is a flotation device worn to help keep a person above water. For toddlers and young children, it is a basic boating safety measure because a fall or slip near water can become dangerous in seconds.
What did Emilie Kiser say after the backlash?
Kiser did not push back against the criticism in her Instagram response. She acknowledged the mistake and said the family is still trying to learn while living with grief.
She wrote that they would “continue to do better” and “advocate for better,” while also saying they would still make mistakes despite efforts to avoid them, according to TMZ.
Kiser ended her message by saying the family would keep learning from those mistakes and continue loving their children “with everything we have.”
The influencer also announced earlier this month that she is pregnant again, TMZ reported.
Kiser, Brady and their family have previously spoken publicly about Trigg’s death and its aftermath. Her latest statement came after the Mallorca vacation video put the family back at the center of online scrutiny over child safety near water.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.