Rob Schneider is addressing the tension in his relationship with his daughter, musician Elle King, following her recent comments about her challenging upbringing. In a candid interview with Tucker Carlson, the comedian responded to King’s remarks about her “very toxic” childhood, expressing regret and a deep love for his daughter. Schneider, 60, admitted that he wasn’t the father she needed in her early years and hopes for her forgiveness as he continues to support her healing journey.
The Hot Chick actor responded to King”s recent comments about her “very toxic” childhood in an interview with Tucker Carlson, joking, “It”s fun being a parent, isn”t it?”
He continued, speaking directly to camera, “I just want to tell my daughter, Elle, I love you and I wish I was the father in my 20s that you needed. Clearly I wasn’t. I hope you can forgive me for my shortcomings. I love you completely and I love you entirely.”
Schneider, 60, shares King with his former partner, model London King. He became a grandfather when the “Ex”s and Oh”s” singer, 35, welcomed her son, Lucky, in September 2021. Musician Elle King (L) and her father, comedian Rob Schneider pose at The Ice House Comedy Club on October 15, 2009 in Pasadena, California. – Michael Schwartz/WireImage
“I just want you to be well and happy with you and your beautiful baby, Lucky,” Schneider added. “I wish you the best. I feel terrible. I just want you to know I don’t take anything you say personally.”
Schneider was then asked by Carlson whether it was a challenge to not fire back at King.
“If you love someone completely,” Schneider began, “I love her. All I want for her is to be happy and to heal from this.”
King opened up about her history with her dad on the latest episode of Bunnie XO”s podcast, Dumb Blonde. She said that one source of tension between the father-daughter duo was King”s physical appearance, leading Schneider to send her to “fat camp” as a kid.
“I was, like, a really, really heavy child. My dad sent me to fat camp,” King told Jelly Roll”s wife, 44, during the podcast. “It was rough. And then I got in trouble one year because I sprained my ankle and I didn”t lose any weight. Very toxic and very silly.”
“It”s so awful. But like that”s where he sent me to. I went two summers in a row. I was 11 and 12,” she continued. “You get like a slice of turkey and steamed vegetables for every meal and they make you work out all day long.”
King said she didn”t see results but that there were “a lot of other stars” kids who went there.” She noted that the traumatizing experience “100 percent” started her anger with her father.
“It got to a point where I didn”t want to spend a summer with him,” King said of Schneider.
The singer says her tattoos were also a problem with her conservative father.
She continued, “I had already started getting tattooed and it was like 108 degrees like every single day. So I was having to wear sweaters because my dad was like very anti-tattoos or any form of self-expression that differed from what he wanted for me — not that he ever even thought about me.”
King added that she was not very close to Schneider growing up, and claimed that he “forgot about every single birthday.” It wasn”t until she was “was much, much older” that they were able to connect.
“Any time my dad would like have me on a trip, he would forget that he had me,” she claimed.
Instead, King sees her stepfather, Justin Tesa, as her dad.
“I would spend time with my dad but my mom raised me like always, single mom until she met my stepdad, who also- he”s my dad,” she said. “He totally raised me.”
When she had the opportunity to spend a summer with Schneider as a child, it was on a movie set, where she would often “just get lost in the shuffle.”
She later added, “I would get in so much trouble if I ever- oh my gosh, if I ever messed up a shot, or if there ever was like an arm in the camera or if I ever was talking, I would get in f–king trouble.” Elle King and Rob Schneider speak onstage for New Year”s Eve Live: Nashville”s Big Bash at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park on Dec. 31, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee. – Jason Davis/Getty Images
The “Baby Daddy”s Weekend” singer also said that Schneider”s outspoken views on drag and the LGBTQ community has created a barrier between them.
“Right now, we”re not flowing,” she said. “I disagree with a lot of the things that he says. He”s just, I don”t know. You can want someone to change so much and ultimately you can”t control anyone else”s actions, you can”t control people”s feelings. All you can control is how you react and what you do with your feelings.”
She continued, “Sometimes I f–king boil up and boil over and I f–king bust my lid. I”m trying so hard to not be that way.”
Despite her alleged attempts to repair their broken relationship, King could never get her father to see eye to eye with her.
“You try every different angle,” she said. “I would try letters, I would try soft, I would try yelling … it”s psychotic.”
King continued of Schneider, “You”re talking out of your a– and you”re talking s–t about drag and, you know, anti-gay rights and it”s like get f—-d. He”s just talking out of his a–.”
She then took the opportunity on the podcast to state that she disagrees with her father”s beliefs.
“I want to use this opportunity to say that I disagree. I do not agree with what he says,” King said. “I believe in all forms of love. And I just believe in anyone finding their happiness and their joy in whatever way, whatever capacity that is. There are no politics when it comes to love.”
King revealed that she and her father go “four or five years” without speaking to one another. She added that she never received any help from him career-wise and plans to continue to pave her own path.
“He never helped me, I never wanted his help,” she said. “He also didn”t have a very good reputation … I don”t want to be associated with him … He”s just not nice.”