Influencer Emilie Kiser responds to backlash over 16-month-old son on boat without life jacket

Emilie Kiser has addressed the circulating footage of her young son on a boat without a life jacket with a lengthy statement, and said she’s ‘painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change’.

The 27-year-old American influencer and her husband Brady Kiser, 29, lost their son Trigg, three, when he tragically died following a drowning incident in their back garden pool in May 2025.

After taking some time away from social media, Emilie began posting on Instagram again last month; however, she has found herself being criticised following a boat trip during a Mallorca holiday with her family, and her friend and fellow influencer Madi Curtis.

Emilie and Brady’s younger son Teddy, who’s 16 months old, was spotted in a clip that’s since been deleted, sitting on his dad’s lap without a life jacket on while on the boat.

It prompted a slew of backlash on social media, with fans pointing out their safety concerns.

Emilie said that Teddy 'should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of the boat ride' (Instagram/@emiliekiser)

On Tuesday (28 July), Emilie released a statement on Instagram to address the situation and reflect on their ‘mistake’.

She wrote: “Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of the boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it. We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better.

“We recognise and appreciate the genuine care that people have for our children. There has also been a deep level of anger and hurt directed toward our family, and we understand the basis of those feelings as well.”

Emilie continued: “It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here, and we share that same belief more than can be expressed.

“He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more. That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.

“We will continue to do better, advocate for better and, as hard as we try to avoid them, still make mistakes. We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have.”

Three-year-old Trigg tragically drowned in May of last year (Instagram/@emiliekiser)

Trigg drowned in the pool of his Chandler family home on 18 May 2025. According to a police report, he'd been home with his father and Teddy, who was a newborn at the time, when he tripped on an inflatable and fell into the water.

Brady had been distracted by Teddy when he temporarily lost sight of his elder son; meanwhile, Emilie, who was five weeks postpartum, was out for dinner with friends nearby.

He was rushed to the hospital after being pulled from the pool, where he was treated for six days before he tragically died.

A few weeks before Trigg’s death anniversary, the social media star took to TikTok to share a video on drowning awareness and water safety.

The backlash also comes just three weeks after Emilie announced she and Brady are expecting a third child, news that has brought ‘such a bright light’ to the couple during ‘some of their darkest days’.