Travis Barker, seen here with his daughter Alabama, said he was "disgusted" by the messages she received. Photo / Getty
Travis Barker, seen here with his daughter Alabama, said he was "disgusted" by the messages she received. Photo / Getty
The family of a musician has spoken out after he was publicly slammed by Blink 182 star Travis Barker for sending "super creepy" texts to his underage daughter.
Last week it was revealed that Echosmith drummer Graham Sierota, 20, sent private messages to 13-year-old Alabama Barker, telling her she was"beautiful" and inviting her to a BBQ he was hosting, reports news.com.au.
The young girl posted screenshots of the conversation on Instagram, in which she had responded to him "u (sic) understand I'm a child?". Her upset dad slammed Sierota over the messages, telling The Blast it was "predatory behaviour".
Travis Barker with his daughter Alabama. Photo / Getty
Sierota issued a public apology shortly afterwards, saying he felt "very badly" about his actions and he "didn't realise she was a minor". Now, his family has spoken out about the situation, revealing that the young drummer is autistic and has "difficulty understanding social cues".
"We have never publicly addressed this in the past, but given the events of the last few days, we feel compelled to speak out now to offer some additional context and insight into the unfortunate misunderstandings that occurred and clear up the deeply hurtful mischaracterisations of Graham," they said in a statement to 9 Honey.
Graham Sierota of indie band Echosmith. Photo / Instagram
"He sees the world as the happiest place, where everyone is a potential friend, and he wants everyone to feel included … Anyone who has ever met Graham will agree, he is the friendliest and most kind-hearted, welcoming person in the world."
Alabama has since posted an update to her Instagram, explaining that she has accepted Sierota's apology.
She wrote: "(Graham) is very sorry about the situation and regretful. I forgive him and would like for this all to be over."
