Kris Jenner regularly cleans up Keeping Up With the Kardashians public relations scandals, but the tragic mass casualties at Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld Festival are different. Travis was historically on the sidelines of KUWTK narratives, in terms of the show and press coverage. However, his relaxed involvement in the Kar-Jenner media empire took an unexpectedly dark turn last week, after eight people passed away at his concert. After the show, two more Astroworld attendees died from injuries sustained at the event.
When it comes to men in the family stirring the pot, Scott Disick, Kanye West, and even Corey Gamble have been front and center. Now, Keeping Up With the Kardashians fans are paying attention to Travis in a big way, for all the wrong reasons. Kylie caught significant backlash from fans for posting an Instagram Story about the festival. Her video showed an ambulance that failed to reach victims in time due to a crowd surge. Producers reportedly removed Travis’s storyline from the upcoming Kardashian-Jenner Hulu show. Clearly, the famous reality family isn’t planning on covering the tragedy (or featuring Travis) on the series.
If the Kar-Jenners are unwilling to address the terrible incident onscreen, that means that there is no appropriate way to include Travis on the show, even in a superficial sense. Referencing him in passing may have worked before Houston’s Astroworld event, but it won’t going forward. When tragedies of this magnitude unfold, there is no neat and tidy way to address them, and they can’t be swept under the rug. Travis says he wasn’t aware of the deaths until the after-party that he attended with Drake. Since the Kar-Jenner family has an ongoing calendar of business releases and itineraries, they generally push through scandals. However, there are now ten Astroworld 2021 fatalities, and Kylie is pausing to mourn and reflect. The failures that led to deaths at the show must be analyzed, so future shows by all musical artists can be safer.
Production crews are often criticized for being hierarchical and political spaces that prioritize profit over wellness. The “almost” strike by IATSE union members, including television, film, and stage crew workers, pointed to a troubled culture within the entertainment industry. The discharge of Alec Baldwin’s armed weapon on the set of Rust was an example of how safety failures set the stage for violence. Travis was right to cancel upcoming festival appearances amid lawsuits. Astroworld showed what happens when production companies don’t have the right overall security plans in place. The Houston PD, Live Nation, Travis, and Drake are all facing criticism, as the show went on in the wake of deaths and injuries. Travis’s apology video was poorly received. When paired with Kylie’s seemingly insensitive video post, things aren’t looking good for Kris’s PR engine and family empire.
The tragedy is heartbreaking and Travis is reportedly holed up at home, where protestors have gathered outside of his mansion. For the Kar-Jenners, the right path might be discussing the events that unfolded in Houston, and the norms within entertainment culture that led to a horrible outcome However, Kris’s business acumen may not be enough to tackle this crisis. Right now, the tragedy is being assessed, and more insights about where blame rightly lies will surely surface. Perhaps Kim Kardashian’s history of leaning into complex political topics will help the Keeping Up With the Kardashians family address Astroworld with a sense of responsibility and leadership.
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