Elle King is no stranger to family complications, particularly her relationship with her father, comedian Rob Schneider. The Grammy-nominated singer recently opened up about her strained relationship with her father on EXO’s Dumb Blonde podcast. Their candid conversation went viral, sparking public debate, including a response from Schneider.
Speaking on the Dumb Blonde podcast, King elaborated on some of her childhood challenges. She revealed that as a child, Schneider sent her to obesity camp, which she still remembers to this day.
She also revealed that Schneider was often absent during her childhood, even forgetting her birthday. Audience members appreciated King’s honesty, especially when she talked about her disagreement with her father’s views on LGBTQ+ rights.
Reflecting on the podcast’s immense popularity, King told PEOPLE, “I never thought it would go viral. I was just speaking about my childhood and my truth.” She added that her intention was not to hurt her father, but to share her personal experience.
“But ultimately, I think apologizing on Tucker Carlson is kind of a double negative, right? It doesn’t mean anything,” King said in an interview with People. Despite the apology, King believed the platform on which it was offered lacked sincerity and true impact.
Elle King stood by her decision to speak out about her childhood. “A lot of people said, ‘How could she say that about her family?’ and ‘Everything should be behind closed doors.’ No, it’s not,” King said. She added that sometimes you just have to say things and get them off your chest so you don’t have to carry it around for the rest of your life.
King spoke about the positive outcome of her comments, specifically her support for the LGBTQ+ community. She said the best thing that came out of it was that her incredible LGBTQ+ community knows they have an ally in her, and if that was the most important thing to come out of that stage, she would have done it ten times over because she is an ally, they have an ally in her, and she is grateful.
Despite being in the public eye, Elle King is focusing on her music. She will release her next single, High Road, on Friday, September 20. The song’s message ties in with King’s recent personal journey of growth and forgiveness.
King said that for the past year, if something went wrong or annoyed him, his manager would say, “High Road 2024,” which was his theme, “Take the high road. Be who you want to be in any situation.”
High Road is a country song that reflects King’s decision to rise above challenges and focus on becoming the best version of herself.
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