Elle King’s father is actor and comedian Rob Schneider, best known for his years on Saturday Night Live and films like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Their relationship has drawn public attention over the years, marked by periods of distance followed by reconciliation.
Who is Elle King’s Father?
Rob Schneider is Elle King’s biological father. He is an American actor and comedian who joined Saturday Night Live as a writer and performer in 1990.
Schneider went on to star in films including The Hot Chick, The Benchwarmers, and Grown Ups. He also wrote and starred in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, which gave Elle King her acting debut as a child in 1999.
Schneider married Elle’s mother, former model London King, in 1988. The couple split in 1990, not long after Elle was born.
Rob Schneider Age
Rob Schneider is 62 years old as of 2026, born on October 31, 1963. His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
He continues to work as an actor and stand-up comedian, and he has appeared alongside his daughter at several live shows in recent years.
What is it?
Rob Schneider and London King married on September 25, 1988, just three days after they met. Their daughter, Tanner Elle Schneider, was born on July 3, 1989, and the marriage ended the following year.
Schneider joined Saturday Night Live shortly after the split, launching the career that would make him widely known. He has since married twice more and shares two younger daughters, Miranda and Madeline, with his wife, Patricia Azarcoya Schneider.
Elle King has said her father was often absent during her childhood because of his work schedule. She has described spending some summers visiting him on film sets, though she said she rarely got meaningful time with him there.
Is Elle King Estranged from Her Dad?
Elle King and Rob Schneider have gone through periods of real distance, though they are not currently estranged. In August 2024, King said on Bunnie XO’s podcast Dumb Blonde that she had gone “four or five years without talking to” her father at points in her life.
She also said Schneider once sent her to a weight loss camp as a child and would often forget her birthday. King added that she disagreed with his public comments on LGBTQ+ issues, which contributed to keeping her distance from him.
Schneider later apologized to his daughter during an appearance on The Tucker Carlson Show, saying he loved her and wished he had been the father she needed in his twenties. King responded that the apology “means nothing” to her, since it came through a television interview rather than directly.
Even so, the two have shared the stage several times, including a New Year’s Eve performance together in Nashville. King has said in earlier interviews that she and her father share “a beautiful and really wonderful, great loving relationship with awesome boundaries.”
Why does Elle King not have Her Dad’s Last Name?
Elle King was born Tanner Elle Schneider but changed her legal name to her mother’s surname at age 18. She has said she made the change because her mother, London King, was the parent who raised her.
King has also said she wanted to build her career as her own person rather than as Rob Schneider’s daughter. She told ABC News that her music “speaks for itself” and that she is “my own person.”
Who are Elle King’s Birth Parents?
Elle King’s birth parents are Rob Schneider and London King. Her mother is a former model and actress who later became a childbirth educator.
London King remarried musician Justin Tesa in January 2000, and the two have remained together since. Elle King has credited her mother and stepfather with raising her in Columbus and Wellston, Ohio.
Bottom Line
Elle King is the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and former model London King, who divorced in 1990. She changed her legal name from Schneider to King at age 18 to build her own identity in music.
Her relationship with her father has moved through periods of distance and reconciliation, most publicly in 2024 when her comments about their strained history went viral. Schneider later apologized to her on The Tucker Carlson Show.
King has said she and her father have found a version of their relationship that works, describing it as loving but built on clear boundaries. We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!