Celebrity Celebrity Family All About Elle King's Parents, Actor Rob Schneider and Former Model London King Elle King decided to go by her mom’s last name to carve her own legacy separate from her father’s By Rebecca Aizin Rebecca Aizin Rebecca Aizin is an Associate Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared on Elle, HGTV and Backstage. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 12, 2024 01:35PM EDT London King and Elle King attend the 2016 Pre-GRAMMY Gala on February 14, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. ; Elle King and Rob Schneider on October 15, 2009 in Pasadena, California. . Photo: Jason Merritt/WireImage ; Michael Schwartz/WireImage Elle King has made her mark as the only daughter of her famous parents, actor Rob Schneider and model London King. The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer was born to the Saturday Night Live comedian and London on July 3, 1989, in Los Angeles. She was named Tanner Elle Schneider, but she decided to adopt her mom’s moniker for her stage name to separate herself from her dad in the industry. "I wanted to be my own person. I never wanted to borrow money from anybody, and I've worked hard for my family and for me,” she told PEOPLE in February 2023. “I want to have a life built for myself, and I want to know that I did it." Elle grew up in Ohio with her mom and stepdad and rarely saw her father. However, as an adult, the two reconnected and now have the relationship she “always wanted,” she told PEOPLE in October 2018. "My father and I have a beautiful and really wonderful, great loving relationship with awesome boundaries," she said in 2023. "I love my dad so much." From growing up with her mom to her renewed relationship with her dad, here’s everything to know about Elle King’s parents, Rob Schneider and London King. London is a former model Elle King and London King attend Pre-GRAMMY Gala and Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Debra Lee on February 11, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Lester Cohen/WireImage Before she pivoted into a career as a doula, London was a model in the 1990s. She also dabbled in acting with credits in 2000’s A Better Way to Die and 2002’s The Calling, per her IMDb. However, she didn’t further pursue a creative career after 2002 and, instead, works as a doula, helping women deliver babies. Rob is a comedian Rob Schneider and Elle King in a post he made for her 34th birthday in 2023. Rob Schneider Instagram Elle’s father is well-known in Hollywood after working as a writer and comedian on Saturday Night Live between 1990 and 1994. He also is a frequent collaborator of Adam Sandler, including movies like 1998’s The Waterboy and 2004’s 50 First Dates. In total, Rob has starred in 15 movies with Sandler. When Sandler was presented with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2023, Rob gave a speech in his honor, joking he wanted to do 50 more movies with the comedian. He concluded the presentation with a song he dedicated to the actor about going through life together since they were young men on SNL. “I love you like a brother,” he sang. “Thanks for growing old with me.” They split a year after welcoming Elle Elle King with her mother London King and her stepdad Justin Tesa at The Commodore in Brooklyn, NY. Elle King Instagram Rob and London were married in 1988 but split a year after they welcomed Elle, in 1990. Rob went on to work on SNL the same year, while Elle moved to Ohio with her mother. "My whole childhood, my dad was a workaholic," she told PEOPLE in 2018, so she rarely saw him. In 2000, London married again to Elle’s stepdad, Justin Tesa, when she was 11 years old. Though she is close with Tesa, Elle told PEOPLE in 2023 that she still felt the absence of her father. "I was the chubby girl with a dad that didn't visit very often, and everybody made fun of me and were mean to me about it," she said. Elle had a strained relationship with her father when she was growing up Elle King and Rob Schneider pose at The Ice House Comedy Club on October 22, 2009 in Pasadena, California. Michael Schwartz/WireImage Up until 2012, Elle said that she didn’t even talk to her father at all, including when she released her first self-titled EP. "He wasn't even in my life. He got married and had a kid, and we weren't even talking," she told PEOPLE. In 2011, Rob married his third wife, Patricia Azarcoya Schneider, and the pair welcomed two children together: Miranda and Madeline. The adjustment was difficult for Elle, and she didn’t want to be known just as Rob’s daughter as she got her start in the music industry. "Growing up as somebody who was chubby, awkward, funny, has OCD and is weird and quirky and awkward but super sensitive, I had to really fight to be OK as myself. So I didn't want to be known as someone's kid," Elle said. During an August 2024 appearance on Bunnie XO's Dumb Blonde podcast, Elle said that her dad sent her to "fat camp" as a child. “I was, like, a really, really heavy child," she said. "My dad sent me to fat camp. And then I got in trouble one year because I sprained my ankle and I didn't lose any weight. Very toxic and very silly,." She reconnected with Rob because of her sisters Rob Schneider and Elle King in a post from February 2020. Rob Schneider Instagram Despite their strained relationship, Elle decided to make an effort with her father after the birth of her little sisters, who she wanted to be close to. "We both have grown up a lot. And you realize what's important," she told PEOPLE. "Him having children — I wanted my sisters to have good memories of me from their childhood when they grew.” She added, “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." Now, Rob is her “biggest supporter,” she 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,” she said. For Elle’s 34th birthday in July 2023, Rob wrote a sweet tribute to his eldest daughter on Instagram, praising her for being an “awesome mama” to her son, Lucky, and showing her with love. “I’m blown away by your incredible spirit, determination and amazing talent! Thank you for Lucky!” he wrote. “You are such a huge inspiration to me and your sisters and Paty! We love you and can’t wait to see you and hug you soon!” London helped Elle deliver her baby Elle King with her mom London King and son Lucky in Hawaii in January 2024. Elle King Instagram Elle gave birth to her first child, Lucky, on Sept. 1, 2021, with the help of her mother, who served as her doula. Five days after giving birth, Elle thanked her mom on Instagram for her help during the delivery process. “This person is my best friend,” she wrote in the caption. “She helped us get the whole house ready and even though Lucky ended up a belly birth, she was my doula through the whole process, and most importantly she was the best mom I could ask for.” She added that the picture showed her mom cooking Elle’s placenta to “encapsulate it for all the amazing benefits.” Close