Elle King talks 'toxic' relationship with father Rob Schneider, says he's 'just not nice'

Elle King and Rob Schneider speak onstage (Jason Davis / Getty Images file)
Elle King and Rob Schneider at New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash in 2023.

Elle King opened up about her tumultuous relationship with her father, Rob Schneider, in a recent appearance on Bunnie XO’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast.

In an edited teaser posted on TikTok for the upcoming episode, out Monday, the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer took the opportunity to denounce Schneider’s outspoken views on drag and the LGBTQ community.

“I disagree with a lot of the things that he says,” King said of Schneider. “You’re talking out of your ass and you’re talking s--- about drag and, you know, anti-gay rights. And it’s like, get f---ed.”

In late July, Schneider took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his outrage towards the Olympics opening ceremony, which featured a tableau he interpreted as a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” But instead of Jesus and his disciples sitting at the table, the tableau featured drag queens and other colorfully dressed figures.

“I am sorry to say to all the world’s greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan,” Schneider wrote. “I sincerely hope these Olympics get the same amount of viewers as CSPAN.”

Schneider added in a follow-up post: “Guys with their genitalia hanging out in front of children?! Drag Queens?! I wasn’t sure if I was watching the Olympics or if I was watching a school board meeting.”

Elsewhere in the clip on TikTok, King said that she was not very close to her father growing up, and did not connect with Schneider until she “was much, much older.” When she had the opportunity to spend time with her dad as a child, it was on a movie set, where she would often get “lost in the shuffle.”

“If I ever messed up a shot, if I was talking, I would get in f---king trouble,” King explained.

A big source of tension between King and Schneider was her appearance, with King’s weight and tattoos being the biggest instigators.

“I was like a really, really heavy child. My dad sent me to fat camp…and then I got in trouble one year because I sprained my ankle and didn’t lose any weight,” King explained. “I had already started getting tattooed and it was like 108 degrees. So I had to wear sweaters because my dad was very anti-tattoos or any form of self-expression.”

A representative for Schneider declined to comment.

King added that she has no plans to mend the relationship with her father, saying that she “doesn’t want to be associated” with Schneider in any way.

“He’s just not nice,” King said. “You can want someone to change so much. You can’t control anyone else’s actions and you can’t control people’s feelings. All you can control is how you react and what you do with your feelings.”

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