Influencer Emilie Kiser has apologized after a video surfaced showing her toddler seated on a boat without a life jacket.
The footage was posted by Kiser’s friend and fellow content creator Madi Curtis, who included the moment in a social media montage from a family boating day in Spain, where the two families were vacationing together.
The since-deleted June clip showed 16-month-old Theodore “Teddy” Kiser on board, at one point sitting near his father, Brady Kiser.
Curtis’ daughter also appeared in parts of the video without a life jacket, while her son was seen wearing a bright orange flotation vest.
Under Spanish boating rules, children younger than 13 are required to wear life jackets while on the deck of a moving recreational vessel.
The clip quickly drew criticism online, with viewers questioning why stronger safety measures were not in place for the young children, even though Teddy was not shown in the water.
The reaction was especially emotional for many followers because the Kisers’ oldest son, Trigg, died in 2025 at age three after drowning in the family’s backyard pool in Arizona.
Kiser, who is currently pregnant with the couple’s third child, has built a large online following by sharing lifestyle updates, parenting moments and family-focused content.
In the public apology, Kiser acknowledged her child should have been in a life jacket for the entire course of the boat ride.
“We are painfully aware that in a matter of seconds, your entire life can change, and we should have done better,” the mother wrote.
She thanked everyone for their “genuine care” toward her children and also recognized the “deep level of anger and hurt” directed to the family.
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“It comes from the belief that Trigg should still be here, and we share that same belief more than can be expressed,” she continued.
“He was only three years old, and should have lived a lifetime more. That reality lives with us every moment of every single day.”
To end the message, Kiser insisted the family would continue to “do better, advocate for better and as hard as we try to avoid them, still make mistakes.”
“We can only promise that we will never stop learning from them and continue loving our children with everything we have,” she finished the message.
Many showered the family with support in the comment sections of her most recent Instagram posts.
“I just wanted to send over a virtual hug,” wrote a follower.
“I hate how cruel people can be, Em. Everyone is always the perfect parent when it’s not them. Love you. Keep going, Trigg would be so proud,” another said.
A third added: “You’re a human too. As a mom myself, I know that none of us is perfect. You’re a great mom. You’re doing the best you can. We love you, Em.”
A police report states Trigg had been left unsupervised for more than nine minutes, and in the water for about seven, before he was pulled out.
A fence did not surround the pool, but it was typically covered, which wasn’t on the pool at the time of Trigg’s drowning.
In June, the mother sat down with British podcaster Jay Shetty for her first interview since the tragedy.
“I always try to remind myself that I have a choice to make,” she said at the time.
“I can either let this completely derail me more than it already has, and not really feel like I’m fit or able to take care of my younger son, or I can do everything in my power to be the best mom I possibly can for him, and give him the same love that Trigg had and has.”
