Emilie Kiser speaks out after son seen without life jacket
Emilie Kiser has spoken out after video showed her 16-month-old son Teddy on a boat without a life jacket. The influencer said her son life safety lapse was wrong, admitting the toddler "should have been in his life jacket" for the entire ride and that she and Brady "should have done better."
Key Takeaways
- Emilie Kiser apologized after footage showed 16-month-old Teddy briefly without a life jacket on a boat.
- The clip was shared by influencer Madi Curtis from a Mallorca trip and was later deleted.
- Fans linked the backlash to the May 2025 drowning death of the Kisers' eldest son, Trigg, age 3.
- In a July 28 Instagram Story, Emilie said the family is "painfully aware" how fast life can change.
- She vowed to keep learning from mistakes while loving her children "with everything we have."
What did Emilie Kiser say about the boat video?
In a July 28 Instagram Story, the 27-year-old influencer addressed criticism of the clip showing Teddy without water safety gear.
"Our child should have been in his life jacket for the entirety of that boat ride, not even for the few moments that he was out of it," she wrote, according to E! News.
"We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better," Kiser added.
She said she recognizes "the genuine care that people have for our children," while also noting "a deep level of anger and hurt directed toward our family."
Why are fans so angry about Teddy's life jacket?
Much of the outrage stems from the family's history with water tragedy. In May 2025, eldest son Trigg died at age 3 after accidentally drowning in the family's backyard pool.
Since then, Emilie has spoken publicly about water safety and grief. She told followers that anger toward the family often comes from "the belief that Trigg should still be here," a belief she said they share every day.
"He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more," she wrote. "That reality lives with us every moment of every single day."
Coverage of the controversy has also circulated alongside other bizarre news & Florida Man headlines that grip social media.
Who posted the video of Teddy on the boat?
Fellow influencer Madi Curtis posted a compilation from a day the families spent on the water during a vacation in Mallorca in June. In one moment, Teddy was seen sitting on Brady Kiser's lap without a life jacket.
The video has since been deleted. Reports also noted clips in which Curtis's daughter appeared without swim-safety gear, while her son wore an orange life vest at one point.
Emilie, who is expecting her third child with Brady, closed her statement by saying the family 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," she wrote.