Elle King’s Bold Claims About Her Relationship With Estranged Dad Rob Schneider

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors

In a preview clip that Dumb Blonde Podcast host Bunnie XO shared on her TikTok, singer Elle King opened up about her troubled relationship with her dad, actor and comedian Rob Schneider.

“I go for like four or five years without talking to my dad,” said King, 35, on the show. She explained that during her childhood, she rarely spent summers with her father, who divorced her mother, model London King, when Elle King was young. She occasionally joined him on movie sets and even appeared at the age of ten in her dad’s film Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo, but does not appear to look back at those times fondly. She told Bunnie XO, 44, that she often felt “lost in the shuffle” and that she would get in trouble for talking on set or having “ruined” a shot.

According to her King, she wasn’t able to connect with her father until she was “much, much older.” She also explained that as a “really really heavy child” her dad sent her to a “fat camp,” which she called “very toxic and very silly.” She remembers having to wear sweaters and long sleeves in extreme heat at camp to conceal that she’d gotten tattoos, because her dad was against “any form of self-expression that differed from what he wanted.” She also chose to “take the opportunity” to say that “I do not agree” with what her father says about “drag and anti-gay rights.”

According to Page Six, Schneider had to end his June 1 set at a hospital fundraiser early because his controversial comedy was receiving boos from the audience. “While we recognize that in a free and democratic society individuals are entitled to their views and opinions and that comedy is intended to be edgy, the content, positions and opinions expressed during Mr. Schneider’s set do not align with the values of our foundation and team,” the Hospitals of Regina Foundation said of Schneider’s performance.

King explained that her father did not help her break through as a singer with her hit song “Exes and Ohs,” and that because he didn’t have a good reputation she didn’t want “to be associated with him.” She revealed that her father often forgot her birthdays when she was growing up, and is “just not nice.” Bunnie XO, who began the segment by saying she had a childhood crush on Schneider, declared “It’s over!” after hearing what the comedian’s daughter shared about him.