MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Astroworld tragedy: Travis Scott slammed for offering 'scam' therapy sessions to fans

Many social media users questioned whether he was being paid for the partnership

Travis Scott is being slammed for offering Astroworld fans therapy sessions. People have labeled Scott's initiative as a 'scam' after he announced a partnership with BetterHelp. Many social media users questioned whether he was being paid for the partnership. 

In the aftermath of the tragic Astroworld concert, Travis Scott offered to pay the funeral expenses of the eight victims of the deadly stampede. Scott recently announced that he has partnered with BetterHelp to provide free therapy for people impacted by the event. At least eight people died and several others injured when chaos broke out at Travis Scott's Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, on Friday night, November 5. Video footage of the festival is being widely circulated on social media, showing a stampede of fans breaking through a fence. The videos also show people attending the festival dancing on ambulances.

READ MORE

Travis Scott slammed for ignoring fans' pleas to stop Astroworld concert after 8 die

Bharti Shahani: Astroworld victim, 22, declared brain dead with ‘no chance’ of survival

Following the tragedy, over a dozen lawsuits have been filed in Harris County against Scott and Live Nation Entertainment. The lawsuits have claimed that Scott kept singing for more than 30 minutes despite numerous deaths, injuries, and fans pleading for the show to be stopped. Over 10,000 people have also signed a petition in an attempt to block Scott from performing as a headliner at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in California next April. Among various people suing Scott and festival organizers is the family of 21-year-old Axel Acosta, who said that he had the “life squeezed out of” him and was then “trampled on like a piece of trash”. At least two criminal investigations are also underway into the tragic stampede. 

An explainer page says that there was no "sponsorship or brand deal between BetterHelp and Travis Scott." Scott will apparently not be paid and those who participate in therapy will not be automatically billed at the end of the month. "Following the tragic event at Astroworld, Travis Scott's team reached out to us with an initiative to cover the cost of therapy for those who were impacted. As a mission-driven organization, we are proud to help whenever we can. With over 20,000 therapists nationwide, we are uniquely qualified to meet the needs of large numbers of people when tragedies like this occur. We have previously provided free support to those who were impacted by Hurricane Dorian, the El Paso shooting, the California Wildfires, the evacuations from Afghanistan, and other events in which mental health support was needed quickly on a large scale," the page reads.

In an email to BuzzFeed, CEO Alon Matas said: "BetterHelp and Travis together will cover the costs to provide a month of free therapy by licensed therapists so people in need can get professional help." He also denied that BetterHelp was "profiting by selling people's data to advertisers or third parties" or paying Scott. Cactus Jack, Scott’s record label, will reportedly be covering the costs of the one-month therapy. Many on the Internet also claimed that they were disappointed Scott thinks a one-month therapy is what it takes to fix the trauma.

"Literally cannot fathom that Travis Scott thinks one month of therapy is all it takes to fix trauma lol i’ve been going to therapy since 2015 and i’m still fu***** insane," one user wrote. "Travis Scott partnered with that fu***** therapy brand, a brand that SELLS YOUR INFORMATION TO FACEBOOK IF YOU SIGN UP. Dude definitely got a fat check out of a tragedy f*** him," wrote another. 

"8 people died and Travis Scott got a brand partnership out of it. He's getting paid and y'all would be getting a 15% discount on the most dogshit therapy ever once you type in the code "ITS LIT"," wrote one user. "travis scott sucks, yes, but there's also a lot to be said about a mental health platform that thinks PTSD can be addressed properly with a month of free therapy. like, no offense, that doesn't inspire much faith in the service at all," another user said.