Elle King Responds To ‘Toxic’ Dad Rob Schneider’s Apology

Elle King isn’t ready to forgive her famous father, Rob Schneider, for his past actions just yet.

In an interview with People published Thursday, the country singer-songwriter said she “was not trying to hurt” Schneider when she shared troubling details about their relationship during an appearance on the “Dumb Blonde” podcast last month.

“I never in a million years thought that that was going to go viral,” she told the outlet. “I was just speaking about my childhood and about my truth.”

And though her initial remarks about her dad appeared in seemingly countless headlines, King has no regrets about speaking out.

“A lot of people said, ‘How could she say that about her family?’ and ‘Everything needs to be behind closed doors.’ No, it doesn’t,” the four-time Grammy nominee said. “Sometimes you have to just say things and get them off your chest so that you don’t have to carry it for the rest of your life.”

In her “Dumb Blonde” chat, King called out Schneider for criticizing her appearance and sending her to a “fat camp” as a child. She also described their relationship as “very toxic” and said her father “forgot about every single birthday,” including when she turned 18.

Later in the conversation, she distanced herself from Schneider’s political stance, noting: “I do not agree with what he says.”

Days after King’s “Dumb Blonde” interview, Schneider responded to his daughter’s claims with an apology while making an appearance on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast.

“Well, I just want to tell my daughter, Elle, I love you and I wish I was the father in my 20s that you needed. Clearly I wasn’t,” he said. “I hope you can forgive me for my shortcomings. I love you completely and I love you entirely.”

In her People interview, King shrugged off her father’s apology, noting: “I think an apology on Tucker Carlson is like a double negative, right? Means nothing.”

Schneider, whose film credits include “Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo” and “The Hot Chick,” has repeatedly sparked controversy for his political views in recent months.

An outspoken supporter of former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the actor and comedian was reportedly booed offstage at a Canadian charity event in June for making “transphobic, misogynistic and anti-vax jokes.”

Though it may take more time for King to patch up things with Schneider, she told People that she was grateful for the discourse her “Dumb Blonde” interview had ignited.

“What I will say is the best thing that came from that is that my incredible LGBTQ+ community knows that they have an ally in me,” she told People. “And if that’s the biggest thing to come out of that platform, then I would’ve done it 10 more fucking times because I am an ally, they have one in me, and I’m grateful.”