After years of whispers, fan theories, and tabloid speculation, Kim Kardashian is finally putting the long-running rumors to rest: No, she never had a romantic relationship with Travis Barker, the husband of her sister, Kourtney Kardashian.

During her appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the 43-year-old reality star spoke candidly about the accusations that have followed her for nearly a decade — stemming from passages in Barker’s 2015 autobiography, Can I Say. The book included comments about Kim that many interpreted as hints of a past fling, but Kim insists that the speculation was completely false.

“I never have,” Kim said firmly when asked about the alleged affair. “And that really sucks that that has gone on. I have been friends with him but never like in that way — and never, yeah, never hooked up with him.”

For Kim, the persistent rumor hasn’t just been frustrating — it’s been hurtful. Given that Barker is now married to her sister, the story has taken on a life of its own, often resurfacing whenever the Kardashian family makes headlines. Kim said she decided to finally address the rumor publicly not because of outside pressure, but because it felt like the right time to “clear the air once and for all.”

The speculation began years ago when Travis Barker, drummer for Blink-182, released his memoir Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, and Drums, Drums, Drums. In it, Barker admitted that he had a “crush” on Kim while he was dating her then-best friend, Paris Hilton. He described Kim as “eye candy” and said he enjoyed spending time with her.

However, Barker was also clear in his book that there was never anything physical between them.

“Kim and I never touched each other,” Barker wrote. “It just wasn’t meant to be. It was nothing weird.”

Despite his clarification, the quote took on a life of its own, sparking endless gossip and fueling speculation that Kim and Barker may have had a secret relationship years before Kourtney entered the picture.

But according to Kim, the truth is far less dramatic. She recalled that back in the early 2000s, she would occasionally spend time with Barker when he was dating Paris Hilton, joining them on tour and hanging out in group settings. Their connection, she explained, was purely platonic.

“We were just friends,” Kim said. “I used to go on tour because Paris was dating him at the time. That’s really all it was.”

Meanwhile, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s love story has unfolded in full view of the public — and unlike the rumors about Kim, it’s entirely real. The couple, who had been neighbors in Calabasas for nearly a decade, went public with their relationship in early 2021. Their whirlwind romance quickly became one of the most talked-about celebrity love stories, culminating in a Las Vegas elopement in 2022, followed by a lavish Italian wedding later that year.

In 2023, Kourtney and Travis welcomed their first child together, Rocky Thirteen Barker, after a long and emotional fertility journey that Kourtney has been open about on social media and in interviews.

“The medication that they’ve been giving me — they put me into menopause,” Kourtney revealed during an earlier interview. “The journey is a bit hard for any women who have been on it, and emotional.”

The birth of their son was seen as a joyful ending to a chapter marked by personal struggle and perseverance — and perhaps, a new beginning for the blended Kardashian-Barker family.

Still, even as Kourtney and Travis’s marriage thrives, online chatter has occasionally tried to drag Kim into old narratives. Fans on social media often resurface the excerpts from Barker’s memoir or create speculative timelines implying that Kim’s friendship with Barker once overlapped with Kourtney’s history.

But Kim made it clear that these assumptions are entirely unfounded — and that her bond with Kourtney has not been affected by the noise. She also expressed sympathy for how the rumor may have made things awkward between her and her sister in the past, but reiterated that both of them have moved far beyond it.

For longtime Kardashian fans, Kim’s direct denial finally closes the book on one of the most persistent myths in the family’s tabloid history. While drama and rumor often follow the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Kim’s comments offer a rare moment of transparency — and a reminder that not every headline has a kernel of truth.

As for Travis Barker, he has long since moved on, and his focus now is firmly on his wife and their new family. His earlier comments about Kim, while flattering, were never meant to suggest anything more than admiration.

In the end, Kim’s words sum up the situation best:

“It’s just one of those things that got so blown out of proportion. But it’s fine. I know who I am, and so does my family.”

With that, Kim Kardashian has officially — and definitively — put an end to one of Hollywood’s most persistent rumors.