Emilie Kiser is responding directly to the criticism.
After video footage was posted of the influencer, her husband Brady Kiser and their 16-month-old son Teddy on a boat, fans were quick to point out that the toddler was not wearing a life jacket. Fans expressed anger and disappointment, considering Emilie and Brady’s eldest son Trigg tragically died in May 2025 at the age of 3 after accidentally drowning in the family’s pool.
“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,” Emilie wrote in a July 28 Instagram Story. “We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better.”
The 27-year-old recognized and appreciated “the genuine care that people have for our children,” adding, “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.”
According to Emilie—who is expecting her third child with Brady—many of those feelings are rooted in “the belief that Trigg should still be here,” a belief that she and her family feel as well.
“He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more,” she continued. “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,” Emilie added. “We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have.”
The video of the family on vacation in Mallorca was posted by fellow influencer Madi Curtis, who shared a compilation of the day their families spent together on the water. However, Madi’s video has since been deleted.
Since Trigg’s death, Emilie has shared how she was able to forgive her husband, now 29, who was watching both Trigg and Teddy at the time while Emilie was out of the house.
“From the beginning, I felt so angry at him,” she told Jay Shetty during her appearance on his On Purpose podcast in June. “But I think the biggest thing that really kind of altered literally my brain chemistry and the way I thought about it was this could have just as easily happened to me. This could have just as easily been me and Brady's position.”
While she noted that didn’t “excuse what happened,” it helped her understand the accident could have occurred while she had been with both of her sons.
“Even if I accepted that there was a chance that we don't stay together—this was when we first lost Trigg, that I felt this way—I would be able to forgive him,” she said. “Because I would so deeply want him to forgive me and to know that I didn't mean for it to happen. And that's exactly how I feel for Brady.”
For a look at Emilie and Brady’s life together, keep reading.
Emilie Kiser and Brady Kiser tied the knot in 2019.
The couple welcomed their first son, Trigg, in July 2021.
They became parents again in March 2025 with the arrival of their second son Theodore.
Emilie often documented life at home with her two boys on social media.
The family celebrated a happy Easter holiday together.
Emilie shared this sweet photo shortly after Theodore's birth.
After welcoming Theodore, Emilie wrote on social media, "The love I have for my boys is infinite."