Travis Scott And Kylie Jenner Break Silence On Astroworld Tragedy
The more we know about Travis Scott's Astroworld concert on November 5, the worse it gets. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña called the incident a "mass casualty incident" at a press conference (via the New York Post) after 300 people were injured and at least eight people died. Scott addressed the incident on November 6, and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, spoke out for the couple the next day. The New York Post reported that Scott has a history of inciting music festival crowds to violent levels. The rapper was arrested in 2017 after an Arkansas concert resulted in multiple injuries, the outlet noted.
Per The Washington Post, videos from the Houston concert showed fans trying to get help and yelling to stop the show. About 30 minutes after Scott took the stage, a member of the audience climbed up to a raised platform to get the attention of camera operators. The Post reported that the man pointed to the crowd, yelling, "People are f***ing dying. I want to save somebody's life. That's somebody's kid ... I want to save them." Houston police have opened a criminal investigation into the concert, The Washington Post reported.
Here's what Scott and Jenner have said about the tragedy.
Kylie Jenner says she and Travis Scott are "broken and devastated"
On November 7, Kylie Jenner wrote in an Instagram Story that she and Travis Scott are "broken and devastated" about the Astroworld Festival tragedy. "My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in anyway by yesterday's events," she wrote. The reality star also defended Scott, who has been accused of ignoring fans who begged him to stop the concert. "I want to make it clear we weren't aware of any fatalities until the news came out after the show and in no world would have continued filming or performing," she added.
Scott also broke his silence the morning after the concert, tweeting that he was "devastated." The rapper continued to express condolences for the Astroworld victims later on November 6. Scott wrote in an Instagram Story (via Yahoo!), "My fans really mean the world to me, and I always just want to leave them with a positive experience, and anytime I can make out anything that's going on — stop the show and help them get the help they need... I just could never imagine the severity of the situation."
But some fans have pushed back on claims that the rapper didn't understand that fans were distressed. One Twitter user shared a video from the concert, tweeting, "A guy yelled and told you to stop the show and you said 'who told me to stop.' You knew wtf was happening."
Kylie Jenner appeared to be unsettled by the crowd commotion
As news of the Astroworld tragedies continues to make waves, the microscope is surely beaming down on both Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner at the moment. The festival, aptly named after the rapper's third studio album, saw performances from top names such as Roddy Ricch, SZA, and Drake — the latter of whom, alongside Scott, is now being named in a lawsuit regarding the incident. But while the artists were performing onstage, this begs the question — what was Jenner up to?
On November 7, TMZ published a report featuring images of Jenner looking pensive and alert to the ongoings of the packed crowd. Jenner, who was seen masked up during the event, was spotted alongside Scott's security detail in a tent away from the main stage. The outlet also noted Jenner's body language — a lack of concert-going excitement — and what appeared to be a nervous look on her face. Another video captured her with daughter Stormi, who seemed to be enjoying the show.
Despite the initial report, the outlet published an update shortly afterward to clarify Jenner's reaction. A source who reportedly spoke directly to Jenner told the outlet that the mother-of-one had no idea what was happening at the moment and to assume so would be "unfair and inaccurate." Jenner did note in a follow-up statement after the tragedy, however, that she and Scott were "unaware of any fatalities" until after the show was over, The Hollywood Reporter.
Kylie deletes Instagram footage of an ambulance at the event
It's not uncommon for fans to livestream or share concert footage via social media in this day and age, and Kylie Jenner is no exception to the rule. During Houston's Astroworld Festival, which lasted from November 5 to November 6, Jenner took to Instagram to share videos of Travis Scott performing at his own music festival. In the clips (retrieved by TMZ), viewers bear witness to a large horde of people, as Jenner remains quiet in the background while filming. Concertgoers are seen having a good time, jumping around, and singing along to Scott's tunes. However, there was one video that Jenner posted that had fans scratching their heads, which she ultimately deleted.
In the video, Jenner scans the audience during an ongoing performance but fails to acknowledge an ambulance smack dab in the middle of the crowd. Not-so-eagle-eyed viewers could even spot the ambulance's flashing lights, though what was actually happening on the ground was unclear. Given Jenner's far distance and lack of clarity on the situation, it most certainly would have posed a challenge for her to act, to say the least.