SNL fans recognize comedian Rob Schneider from his days starring as a cast member on the hit series in the 90s opposite his longtime pals Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade. He's known for his stand-up career as well as roles in films like Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, The Hot Chick, Grown Ups, and more. But lately, he's also known as being the father of singer Elle King, his daughter from his brief marriage to former model London King.
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"I was born out of a Vegas marriage: My parents got married three days after they met," King told Billboard. The couple even divorced shortly after King's birth. "Soon as I was 18, I took on my mom's last name because she raised me, and I wanted to be my own person."
Originally born in Los Angeles as Tanner Elle Schneider, King really didn't grow up close to her famous father. During her childhood, Schneider was busy working in Hollywood on film sets and Saturday Night Live so she grew up in Ohio with her mother and stepfather, Justin Tesa. She credits Tesa for first instilling in her a love of music that ultimately made her want to play music professionally.
"I am only a musician because of him," she told ABC News of her stepdad. "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. And still, to this day, I mean maybe once a month, he still sends me like a mix of new music that I need to listen to."
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The singer-songwriter's hit single "Ex's & Oh's" from her debut album Love Stuff really boosted her career in the music industry. She's collaborated with Dierks Bentley and The Chicks and toured with Miranda Lambert and Joan Jett. She's won two CMA Awards for her collaborations with Lambert and Bentley and has received two Grammy nominations. Through her rise to fame, she was able to reconnect with Schneider and now their relationship is better than ever.
"Honestly, he's probably my biggest supporter," King told People. "Like, every other day I'll get texts in all caps of like, 'Your record's gonna change the world! I can't wait for your fans to hear what you've made! I love you! I'm so proud of you!' And that's a beautiful, wonderful thing."
Part of the reason they reconnected is King wanted to be present in the lives of her half-sisters' Miranda and Madeline, whom Schneider shares with his wife Patricia Azarcoya Arce.
"We both have grown up a lot. And you realize what's important," she says. "Him having children — I wanted my sisters to have good memories of me from their childhood when they grew. Family really is so important. So through that, me just kind of showing up and trying to be good for them, really made it easy because there were no bad motives. When it's about the kids, the bulls— kind of goes away. I love him."
This story previously ran on Jan. 29, 2021.
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