Travis Barker Doc Directors Reveal How His Relationship with Wife Kourtney Kardashian Has Changed Him (Exclusive)

The blink-182 drummer’s new documentary streams on Hulu Aug. 13

NEED TO KNOW

• Travis Barker’s new documentary chronicles his journey through trauma, family life, and his music career comeback
• Directors say his relationship with Kourtney Kardashian brought him peace and helped complete the film’s narrative
• Barker credits his wife and children for their support as he faced his fear of flying during filming

After following Travis Barker's life for a decade, the directors behind his new documentary say finding love with Kourtney Kardashian helped him finally find "peace."

Directors Justin Krook and Michael Dwyer watched as Barker, 50, navigated trauma, family lifeand his comeback in music. But according to the filmmakers, one of the biggest changes they witnessed happened after the Blink-182 drummer found love with his now-wife Kardashian, 47.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the documentary's world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, Krook says Barker's relationship with Kardashian helped bring a newfound sense of peace to his life and ultimately helped complete the story they had been trying to tell for years.

"We thought we had a finished film maybe four years ago or five years ago, but it turns out we only had like a half of the film," Krook tells PEOPLE. "We didn't have an ending because Travis still hadn't found that peace yet."

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The documentary, which was filmed over the course of nearly 10 years, chronicles Barker's life and career, including the lasting trauma he experienced following the deadly 2008 plane crash that left him with a debilitating fear of flying.

"He was still at odds with the rest of his band, single," Krook explains. "But all these things kind of came together for him the last few years."

Among those changes was Barker's relationship with Kardashian, whom he married in 2022.

"He was very close with his kids, but within the last couple of years, he's found the love of his life and I've really seen this sense of ease permeate him," says Krook. "You carry your shoulders like this and I just see him relaxing the last few years."

"I think it's a large testament to his family," he continues.

Dwyer and Krook first connected with Barker while working on another documentary project and were immediately drawn to his story. Early in the process, they joined him aboard the Queen Mary 2 as he traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to tour in Europe rather than fly.

"I feel like that really set the tone of the movie we were going to make, which is a film about trauma and how do you overcome that," says Krook.

Over time, however, the filmmakers realized that Barker's story wasn't necessarily about overcoming trauma.

"The key distinction that we found over making this film is that it was not necessarily about overcoming because I don't think you actually overcome," Dwyer explains. "You actually live with [it] and what does that mean and who is that for? That was the process for us."

That evolution became apparent as Barker rebuilt important relationships, reunited with his Blink-182 bandmates and eventually returned to flying. At the premiere, Barker reflected on how the documentary's ending changed over the years.

"It seems surreal," Barker told PEOPLE. "At one point it wasn't going to come out. It had no ending and the dream ending was I'd walk near a plane, which I was completely against, and I was completely against flying ever again. I went to my managers and I said, ‘This documentary will come out when I'm dead. It's dead to me. I hate the ending,' because I knew that not flying had power over me and it really ate me up."

For years, Barker says he knew the film would only feel complete if he eventually confronted his fear of flying. And that breakthrough came after what he describes as years of healing, including breathwork sessions that helped him process his long-held trauma.

"I knew in the back of my head, the end of this documentary is me getting on a plane again and facing my fear, which I didn't know if it was ever going to be possible," he admits. "But years later, I fall in love with one of my best friends and just amazing things happened. Who would have known?"

While Barker credits several factors for helping him move forward, he says the support of Kardashian and his children has been constant throughout the filmmaking process.

"My wife's watched the documentary so many times, and [my son] Landon's done a few interviews for it," Barker shares. "They've all been super supportive, and I wouldn't be here without all the love from them for sure."

Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear premieres on Hulu Aug. 13.

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