US4 min(s) read
Published 09:05 17 Jun 2026 GMT
Influencer Emilie Kiser has spoken publicly for the first time about the loss of her son Trigg, more than a year after the three-year-old died following a drowning accident at the family's Arizona home.
The 27-year-old content creator appeared on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast on June 17, marking her first formal interview since the tragedy in May 2025.
While Kiser has regularly shared updates about her grief journey with her millions of followers on TikTok, the podcast offered a deeper look at how she has navigated life after losing her eldest son while raising her younger child, Theodore "Teddy," now one.
During the conversation, Kiser reflected on how quickly life can change.
"Losing a child really shows you in the scariest, most real way possible just how quickly life can change, and how quickly life can be literally taken away," Kiser told Shetty.
She also spoke about the decision she faces every day as a mother.
"I always try to remind myself that I have a choice to make," she continued. "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."
Trigg was hospitalized after falling into the family's backyard pool on May 12, 2025. Kiser was not at home at the time of the accident, while her husband, Brady Kiser, was caring for Teddy.
The toddler died six days later on May 18.
According to the Chandler Police Department, Brady initially reported losing sight of Trigg for three to five minutes before finding him in the pool. Police later said video evidence showed the child had been unsupervised in the backyard for more than nine minutes and in the water for about seven minutes.
Months later, investigators recommended that Brady face a Class 4 felony child abuse charge. However, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced on July 25, 2025, that he would not be charged, stating there was "no likelihood of conviction."
In court documents that later became public, Kiser said she and her husband were concerned about details of the case being released as they attempted to process their loss.
"Our love for our children has been shared and expressed worldwide, given my role as a social media personality with many 'followers' across a number of social media platforms," Emilie told the court. "Nothing we have shared as part of my profession has depicted or been intended to depict anything but deep and adoring love within our family. That is how it should stay forever in my mind and the minds of all others."
Nearly a year after Trigg's death, Kiser responded to a TikTok follower who asked how she had "healed" and forgiven her husband.
"You don't heal from the loss, you learn to live with the grief," she wrote. "Lots of therapy and consistently. As well as realization that everyone deserves love, empathy, and forgiveness. And not giving a crap about other peoples opinions, which therapy helps with."
Shortly before the first anniversary of the tragedy, Kiser stepped away from social media for what she described as a "much-needed" break.
When she returned, she said she was grateful for the time away, explaining that it allowed her to spend time with her family and experience the emotions that came with what she called the hardest month of their lives.
In the lead-up to the anniversary of Trigg's death, Kiser shared several videos discussing water safety and reflecting on her family's experience.
In a TikTok posted for Water Safety Awareness Month, she described her son's death as "very preventable."
"This is a topic that I will continue to talk about when I feel comfortable, because it is so extremely hard to talk about, and I hope that people can understand that," she said. "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."
Kiser also highlighted the dangers drowning poses to young children.
"Drowning is the number one cause of death in children three and under," said Emilie. "And that is an extremely hard statistic to swallow because I truly just can't believe how much it happens."
She urged parents to take extra precautions around pools and other bodies of water.
"I really hope that if you see this video, you please, please, please install a pool fence. Make sure you have door alarms. Make sure if you have door alarms, all of your batteries are updated. Please make sure that you watch your children around water," Emilie said.
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