Elle King Opens Up on 'Toxic' Relationship With Dad Rob Schneider

Elle King says her relationship with her actor and comedian father, Rob Schneider, has always been troubled -- and in fact, in many ways, she'd rather not be associated with him at all.

In a recent conversation on Bunnie Xo's Dumb Blonde podcast, digs into her family dynamics, explaining that she and her dad were never close when she was a child. At the time, Schneider was at the height of his career as a film star in movies like The Hot Chick and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.

"If I would ever spend a summer with my dad, it would be on a movie set. I would just get lost in the shuffle," King recalls. "If I ever messed up a shot, if I ever was talking, I would get in f--king trouble."

She goes on to say that her dad sent her to "fat camp" as a child, and that she once got in trouble for not losing weight after she sprained her ankle. "Very toxic and very silly," King goes on to say.

"And I remember when I started getting tattooed, it was like, 108 degrees. So I was having to wear sweaters because my dad was very anti-tattoos. Or, like, any form of self-expression that was different from what he wanted," she continued. "I disagree with a lot of the things he says."

Specifically, she points to transphobic and homophobic comments that Schneider has made. "He's just talking out of his a--, and I wanna take this opportunity to say, I disagree. I do not agree with what he says," King continues.

King says that at the time she got her record deal, she had gone a few years without speaking to her father. She hoped to build her career without his name or endorsement -- and he never tried to help her either, she goes on to say.

"I never wanted his help. He also didn't have a very good reputation. I don't want to be associated with him," she adds. Once she started getting questions about her dad in interviews, King says Schneider reached out, saying "Don't f--king talk about me in the press."

"You can want someone to change so much. 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 reflects. "And sometimes I f--king boil up and boil over, and I f--king bust my lid.

"...My dad forgot every single birthday. I spent my 18th birthday in a summer school and they brought me cupcakes and I came home and my dad forgot my birthday," King continues.

The full episode of Dumb Blonde featuring King will be out everywhere on Monday (Aug. 12.) Fans can listen to it early via Bunnie Xo's Patreon.

Carena Liptak is an Associate Editor and staff writer at Taste of Country. She specializes in breaking country music news, interviews and lists. In particular, she’s got a soft spot for sad songs — check out her roundup of the 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time!