The Biggest Revelations From Travis Scott's First Interview After Astroworld Tragedy

One month after the tragedy at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival, the "goosebumps" rapper sat down with Charlamagne tha God to talk about that Nov. 5 night, which left 10 people dead.

By Jess Cohen Dec 09, 2021 3:24 PMTags

Travis Scott vows to "never" let a tragedy like that of his Astroworld Festival concert happen again.

In his first interview since the Nov. 5 incident, which left 10 people dead, the rapper sat down with Charlamagne tha God to discuss the events that took place during and after the Houston show. At the time of the tragedy, authorities explained at a press conference that the crowd "began to compress towards the front of the stage" causing panic and injuries. "People began to fall out, become unconscious," authorities said, "and it created additional panic." 

During his interview with Charlamagne, posted to YouTube on Dec. 9, Travis was asked when he learned things at the concert "got as bad as they did." Travis, who is facing a number of lawsuits following the tragedy, replied, "It wasn't really until minutes until the press conference until I found out exactly what happened. Even after the show, you know, you're just kind of hearing things. I didn't know the exact details until minutes before the press conference."

"Even at that moment you're kind of just like, you know, what?" he continued. "You just went through something and it's like, wait what?"

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Kendall Jenner & Travis Scott Play Ball For a Good Cause

When Charlamagne asked if Travis knew people had died, he assured him, "Nah. Until minutes before [the press conference]. The thing is like, people pass out, things happen at concerts. But something like that...it's just like..."

Take a look at more revelations from Travis' interview below.

Did He Hear "Full Screams" From the Crowd?: When asked if he could hear screams for help from the stage, Travis said, "Nah man, it's so crazy because I'm that artist too. Like anytime you can hear something like that, you want to stop the show, you want to make sure the fans get the proper attention they need. Anytime I could see anything like that, I did. I stopped like a couple times to just make sure everybody was OK. I really just go off the fans' energy as a collective, call to response. I just didn't hear that, you know, I got music, I got my in-ears, I just didn't hear that."

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Does He Regret His Initial Apology Video?: The day after the concert tragedy, Travis took to social media to address his fans. "I'm absolutely devastated by what took place last night," he said in a statement on Twitter. "My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted by what happened at Astroworld Festival. Houston PD has my total support as they continue to look into the tragic loss of life. I am committed to working together with the Houston community to heal and support the families in need. Thank you to Houston PD, Fire Department and NRG Park for their immediate response and support. Love You All."

He later posted an emotional video in which he sent prayers to those who died at the show. When asked what headspace he was in when he posted the video, Travis told Charlamagne, "It had to have been the night of so I was just in a headspace of just trying to get a communication out to my fans. I had literally no information. So I was just trying to figure it out and just communicate to them. I was reacting to just literally get something to the fans, those people that showed up."

When Charlamagne asked if he regrets posting the video without having all the information, Travis said, "I mean, yeah, 'cause you know, you just don't know what's going on. But at the end of the day I just wanted to get something out...I can only go off of what I know. But my true intentions of it was really just trying to get a message across."

On Being Spotted Out Golfing With Mark Wahlberg and Michael Jordan Weeks After the Tragedy: Days before Thanksgiving, Travis was spotted golfing in California with Mark Wahlberg, Michael Jordan and Cory Gamble, the latter of whom is Kris Jenner's boyfriend. "It was just Thanksgiving," Travis, who is expecting his second child with Kylie Jenner, explained, "and they were there. It was just good people to have around in the community. And, you know, that was more like a personal time just trying to get around...I think some fan asked for a photo."

How Much Responsibility Does He Bear?: "Fans come to the show to have a good experience," Travis said. "I have a responsibility to figure out what happened here, a responsibility to figure out the solution and hopefully this takes a first step into us as artists having more insight of what's going on. And the professionals to kind of surround and figure out more of the intel, whether it's tech, whether it's more of a response, whatever the problem is, to figure out that. And in the future move forward in concert safety, make sure this never happens again."

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On His Relationship With Kylie Jenner and That Leaked W Magazine Cover: In the wake of the Astroworld tragedy, W magazine allegedly scrapped a cover story featuring Travis and Kylie. In recent days, the magazine spread—referring to the duo as a "former" couple—leaked online, raising questions about Travis and Kylie's relationship. "I only do magazines I like," Travis told Charlamagne. "But, you know, a magazine is gonna try to, like, figure out what the f--k they want to figure out. I never did anything for a relationship for anybody to try to figure out, put a label on what they want to put it on. We know what our relationship is."

His Message to Fans and Families Impacted By This Tragedy: "I just want everyone to just continue praying for the fans," he said. "I want people to continue praying for the ones, the fans that was lost. I want people to continue praying for the families. I want people to continue just reaching out for healing. I want people to continue to just be there for each other. And remember you know that love is just everything. With that, we can try to cure everything. Take steps and to, you know, healing. I think the more we try to continue to let people grieve and continue to be there for people and check in with more people and check in on your loved ones. I think that's just like one of the most important things. Staying strong through this while we figure out what's going on, you know? And bring understanding to these families and to the community." 

Watch Travis' full interview with Charlamagne above.