Elle King: Dad Rob Schneider Sent Me to ‘Fat Camp,’ Forgot My Birthday

Elle King is opening up about her relationship with her father, Rob Schneider.

The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer, 35, discussed her father, comedian Rob Schneider, 60, on an episode of the “Dumb Blonde” podcast, according to a preview clip shared on TikTok by host Bunnie XO.

In the video, King reflects on the relationship, starting with the revelation, “I go for like four or five years without talking to my dad.”

King alleges Schneider “forgot about every single birthday” and recounted celebrating her 18th birthday in summer school. “They brought me cupcakes, and I came home, and my dad forgot my birthday,” she shared.

King, who appeared in Schneider’s 1999 movie “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo,” mentioned that her summer visits were usually on movie sets. She reminisced about being a “really, really heavy child” and how Schneider sent her “to fat camp,” where she got in “trouble” after spraining her ankle and not losing weight.

Further, King claims Schneider once called her to demand that she stop discussing him in the media. She also expressed disagreement with his views, particularly his comments on drag and LGBTQ+ rights. Schneider had recently voiced complaints on social media about the presence of drag queens at the Olympics.

Bunnie XO captioned the podcast excerpt, “Elle King talks about her tough relationship with her dad Rob Schneider.” During the podcast, Bunnie comments that Schneider was one of her “childhood crushes,” but King’s revelations seem to have shattered that image for her. “You’re killing my fantasy of Rob,” she stated.

The full podcast interview is slated for release on Monday. Schneider and his ex-wife London King welcomed Elle King in 1989 before divorcing in 1990. Schneider has two other children with his current wife, Patricia Schneider.

In an interview with People published in 2023, King said she was raised by her mom and stepdad Justin, noting that her father “didn’t visit very often.” When she released her debut “Elle King EP” in 2012, Schneider “wasn’t even in my life,” she said. Despite this, King mentioned that they had since reconnected, describing their relationship as “beautiful and really wonderful, great loving relationship with awesome boundaries.” She added, “I love my dad so much.”

Earlier this year, King faced criticism after delivering a drunken performance during a Dolly Parton tribute concert at the Grand Ole Opry. She later shared on the “Off the Vine” podcast that she attended a “therapeutic program” following the incident, explaining that “nobody really knows what I was going through behind closed doors.”

“Ultimately, I couldn’t go on living my life or even staying in the situation that I had been going through,” she admitted. “I couldn’t continue to be existing in that high level of pain.”

Contributing: Audrey Gibbs

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elle King says dad Rob Schneider sent her to ‘fat camp,’ forgot birthday

Source: USA TODAY