Chances are you know Elle King for two things: her 2014 Grammy-nominated hit “Ex’s & Oh’s” and her recent duet with Miranda Lambert, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).” King’s blend of soul, country, and blues is a perfect match for her personal reputation as “a foul-mouthed, tattooed hellraiser.” Her troubled past includes a secret marriage, a divorce, and struggles with substance abuse. Thankfully, the singer appears to be in a better place these days. But considering her past, it might come as a surprise that one of Elle King’s parents is the goofy comedian Rob Schneider.
So how did the man behind Deuce Bigalow raise such a fierce wild child? It’s complicated. Find out about King’s evolving relationship with the Saturday Night Live alum—and see what’s in store for the family’s future.
Elle King’s Parents Are Rob Schneider And London King
King was born on July 3, 1989, to comedian Rob Schneider and model London King. In an interview with Billboard, she revealed that her famous parents probably weren’t destined to make it. They were married in Las Vegas only three days after meeting each other.
The singer bears a slight resemblance to her dad, but baby blue eyes are about all they shared during her childhood. King’s folks split shortly after her birth, and she was raised in Ohio with her mother and stepfather, Justin Tesa.
Although Schneider wasn’t involved in King’s day-to-day life (“My whole childhood, my dad was a workaholic,” she once said) he found small ways to maintain their bond. For instance, King had a small part in her dad’s 1999 film Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
She ultimately credits Tesa for being her biggest influence.
“I am only a musician because of him,” she told ABC News in 2015. “I think that it was something that was inside of me, but he saw that and he definitely nurtured it and pushed me to, you know, dig deeper into music and step outside of things that were beyond just pop culture and, uh, learn about good rock and roll.”
While King kept busy with her music, Schneider went on to remarry and start a second family. In 2011, he married TV producer Patricia Azarcoya. The couple has two daughters—Miranda and Madeline. It’s worth noting that Azarcoya is only a year older than King, which makes for an atypical family tree.
She Decided To Ditch Her Dad’s Last Name
King could have used her dad’s name and fame to give her burgeoning music career a boost, but she passed. Instead, she dropped her birth name (Tanner Elle Schneider) for the stage name Elle King.
“I wanted to be myself,” she told ABC News. “It’s not that I wanted to be a famous person. I wanted to be a performer, but I worked really hard and I did everything myself and I took a name that … is my mother’s name … I took that name because I wanted to be myself.”
“And, yeah, people know who my dad is,” she continued. “But I think that my voice and my music speaks for itself: that I am my own person.”
King added that her dad never really gave her advice on surviving in showbiz, nor did he try to talk her out of a career in entertainment.
“He just wanted me to keep his last name!” she said with a laugh.
Schneider didn’t get his way. In fact, the two had a strained relationship for years. But after the arrival of Miranda and Madeline, King decided it was important to have a relationship with her half-sisters.
“We both have grown up a lot. And you realize what’s important,” she told People in 2018. “Him having children — I wanted my sisters to have good memories of me from their childhood when they grew. Family really is so important… When it’s about the kids, the bulls— kind of goes away. I love him.”
Need proof that they’ve made amends? Watch King join her dad for a duet in his 2020 Netflix special Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids:
Rob Schneider And London King Will Be Grandparents Soon
King can expect to grow even closer to her parents soon, as she’s about to make them grandparents! In March, she revealed to People that she is in her second trimester of pregnancy. The father of the baby is her fiancé, tattoo artist Dan Tooker.
King previously suffered two miscarriages, so she admits to being fraught with anxiety. Still, she felt it was important to make the announcement regardless of the outcome.
“I’m nervous about having this interview because I have a high-risk pregnancy and I’m just like, what if this comes out and something happens to the baby? Then it’s like I have egg on my face. But it’s like, why is there shame around that? Why can’t you celebrate the beginning of life in this stage?” she asked.
But her parents are staying optimistic about her journey toward motherhood. Schneider recently posted a touching message to King on Instagram, writing, “Words are insufficient for me to completely tell you how very happy I am for you and Dan on the news of your baby to be.” Read the rest below:
Her mom London, who happens to be a doula in New York City, is equally supportive.
“I mean, with every little thing I feel, whether I think it’s movement or something, I’m like, ‘Mom, is this normal?'” said the singer. “And she just takes all of it. She’s so helpful, and she’s so knowledgeable.”
We wish King a healthy delivery. The baby will have a loving family waiting to meet them on the other side.