Emilie Kiser is speaking out after a video of her toddler on a boat without a life jacket gained widespread attention.
On July 28, the influencer shared a statement on her social media accounts, saying in part, "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."
Her statement came after Kiser's 16-month-old son Teddy was seen in a video sitting on his father Brady Kiser's lap without a life jacket during a boating trip. The since-deleted video, posted by fellow influencer Madi Curtis, was taken during the group's trip to Mallorca in June.
Emilie Kiser's older son Trigg died in an accidental drowning at the family's Arizona home in May 2025.
"We are painfully aware
that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better," Emilie Kiser's statement said.
Emilie Kiser addresses 'anger and hurt directed toward our family'
The 27-year-old, who is pregnant with her and husband Brady's third child, said they "recognize and appreciate the genuine care that people have for our children."
"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," she continued. "It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here, and we share that same belief more than can be expressed."
She added that 3-year-old Trigg "should have lived a lifetime more," a reality that "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 Kiser said. "We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have."
Boating and water safety advocates recommend all passengers wear life jackets while boating, although U.S. federal law requires children under the age of 13 to wear a life jacket while a vessel is underway, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Emilie Kiser has advocated for drowning prevention after son Trigg's death
Trigg died at an Arizona hospital on May 18, 2025, after being pulled from the family's backyard pool six days earlier.
Emilie Kiser said during a June episode of "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" that she had gone out to dinner with friends on the night of the accident, leaving Brady home with Trigg and Teddy, whose full name is Theodore.
Brady told police he was distracted by Teddy when he lost sight of Trigg. The 3-year-old accidentally fell into the pool after tripping and falling on an inflatable chair, according to surveillance video.
Since Trigg's death, Emilie Kiser has used her platform to advocate for drowning prevention.
In an April TikTok video, Emilie Kiser encouraged viewers to implement measures like pool fences, door alarms and infant swimming resource lessons.
"Our son's death was very preventable. It was an accident, but it was a preventable accident. I will always take full accountability for that because as a parent, it is your job to protect your child," she said.
On Shetty's podcast, Emilie Kiser echoed the message.
"The only thing I can do to honor Trigg, to show my love for him, is take care of Teddy and hopefully help to spread awareness and do my best to make it so that hopefully less families have to go through what we've gone through," she said.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Emilie Kiser addresses video of son not wearing life jacket on boat
