Kylie Jenner and sister Kendall Jenner’s fashion brand, Kendall + Kylie, has shared its first post since the disastrous incident that occurred at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival earlier this month.
Ten people ranging in age from 9 to 27 were killed during the crowd surge that occurred during Travis’s headlining performance on Nov. 5 at NRG Park in Houston. Hundreds of other concertgoers were injured, many of whom have been left in critical condition.
Video footage and several witness testimonies shared by concertgoers at the event showed numerous fans appearing to be crushed and trampled by one another in the crowd.
The annual festival was produced by Travis, who is Kylie’s partner. The two share a 3-year-old daughter, Stormi, and are currently expecting their second child.
A spokesperson for Travis, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, has maintained that the rapper — who continued to play on for a reported 37 minutes after the show had been declared a mass casualty incident — wasn’t aware of the severity of the situation. She claimed that it was “hours and hours after the concert when [Travis] actually found out the tragedy.”
Travis first addressed the tragedy in a statement issued on Nov. 6. He said that he was “absolutely devastated” by the events that had taken place and pledged commitment to helping “heal and support the families in need.”
Shortly afterward, Travis posted a video of himself talking directly to the camera on his Instagram story. He said, “I just wanna send out prayers to the [lives] that were lost last night. We're actually working right now to identify the families so we can help assist them through this tough time.”
Travis Scott takes to his Instagram story to address the tragedy at last night’s Astroworld Festival.
Travis has since been named in several lawsuits filed by victims’ families and attendees of the event. Many have cited “negligence” and the “encouragement of violence,” among other harms.
Most recently, on Nov. 16, Travis was named in a $750 million lawsuit filed on behalf of 125 victims, including the family of one man who died at the festival.
The suit — which was filed by attorney Tony Buzbee in Houston — states that the damages are being sought to cover the cost of the physical and mental impact sustained by the victims and families. However, Buzbee noted that “no amount of money” would compensate for what they have experienced.
Meanwhile, Travis’s partner Kylie has also faced scrutiny in the wake of the tragedy.
Kylie attended the concert along with her sister Kendall and daughter, Stormi. According to reports and fan footage, the three were safely seated at the rear of the audience in a VIP section and were escorted out when the horrific events unfolded.
Both Kylie and Kendall faced criticism after the festival for leaving footage from Travis’s performance — which they shared to their Instagram stories — visible on their accounts after news of the fatalities emerged.
A video shared by Kylie showing an ambulance attempting to move through the crowd attracted particular criticism, especially when it was left live on her story for hours after the event.
I want to remind you that you can see the ambulance on Kylie Jenners Instagram story from the Travis Scott concert and despite the news has not been taken down #AstroWorld
On Nov. 7, Kylie issued a statement on Instagram addressing the incident for the first time and affirming that she and Travis had not been aware of the fatalities until the news surfaced after the show.
Kylie wrote: “Travis and I are broken and devastated. My thoughts and prayers are with all who lost their lives, were injured or affected in anyway by yesterday's events. And also for Travis who I know cares deeply for his fans and the Houston community."
On Nov. 8, Kendall also issued a statement to her Instagram story, writing that she was “truly broken” over the incident.
“I’m still at a loss for words over the news from Astroworld,” she wrote. “I’m truly broken for the families that have lost loved ones and my prayers go out to everyone involved.”
Following the singular statements shared by the sisters, fans have urged them to publicly address and name the victims, including those who died.
Since issuing her statement, Kylie hasn’t posted anything to her personal Instagram page. Her latest post was shared the day before the festival, on Nov. 4.
Kendall, on the other hand, faced backlash for sharing a series of pictures of herself on the cover of Vogue Germany on Nov. 12 — just days after issuing her statement regarding the tragedy.
Kendall’s post was met with harsh criticism from fans, many of whom labeled it “tone deaf” and said they were “disappointed” with the model. Fans urged Kendall to “use her platform” and “say something about the innocent kids who passed away” at the festival.
In the wake of the disaster, it’s perhaps unsurprising that several companies have distanced themselves from Travis and Kylie.
On Nov. 16, Nike announced that it has postponed the release of its latest sneaker collaboration with Travis “out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival.”
And on Nov. 17, W Magazine disclosed that it has decided against digitally promoting an upcoming edition that features Travis and Kylie on its cover.
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the magazine told BuzzFeed News that the cover was shot and printed before the Astroworld incident and would no longer be posted online by the outlet.
“The issue was photographed and printed prior to the tragic events in Houston,” the spokesperson said. “W will not be posting the cover.”
Fans largely praised the outlet for refusing to digitally promote the issue — which had also included a new interview with Travis and Kylie — out of respect for the victims of the tragedy.
However, in spite of the companies’ decisions to postpone or cancel their collaborations, Kylie and Kendall’s fashion brand, Kendall + Kylie, is going ahead with promotion.
On Nov. 17, the Instagram account for the sisters’ clothing line shared a video announcing its launch in the United Arab Emirates.
The video, which featured old footage of Kendall and Kylie, was captioned, “We are so excited to announce that you can now shop #kendallandkylie styles in the UAE.”
The post was met with comments from fans who were outraged by the promotion in the wake of the tragedy, many of whom labeled the announcement “tone deaf.”
“Tone deaf AF,” one person wrote, while another noted that the move was “embarrassing.”
While it’s unlikely that Kylie or Kendall were directly behind the post, one user commented: “They are posting again but they can’t acknowledge or say the names of the ten people who have died at an event they were at.”
Another suggested that the company should be “boycotted” in light of the ill-timed promotion following the tragic events.
Though it’s currently unconfirmed how Kendall, Kylie, and Travis are holding up, reports have claimed that Travis and Kylie have been staying at the rapper’s home in Houston since the incident occurred. Kendall has since returned to LA and was photographed attending two of her friends' weddings over the weekend.
