Comedian Rob Schneider has publicly appealed to his daughter, singer Elle King, for forgiveness following her scathing criticism of his recent anti-drag and anti-LGBTQ+ comments. King, in a recent podcast appearance, detailed their strained relationship and expressed a lack of desire to reconcile with her father.
Speaking to Tucker Carlson, Schneider expressed remorse for his past failings as a father, stating, "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. I hope you can forgive me for my shortcomings. I love you completely and I love you entirely." He went on to wish her well, adding, "I just want you to be well and happy with you and your beautiful baby, Lucky. I wish you the best. I feel terrible. I just want you to know I don't take anything you say personally."
Schneider's appeal for reconciliation comes after he generated controversy with his outspoken conservative views, including his criticism of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony for featuring a tableau he interpreted as "The Last Supper" with drag queens. He took to social media to denounce the ceremony, stating, "I am sorry to say to all the worldâs greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan. I sincerely hope these Olympics get the same amount of viewers as CSPAN."
King, who previously described their relationship as toxic, expressed her disagreement with Schneider's views, stating, "You're talking out of your ass and you're talking shit about drag and, you know, anti-gay rights. And it's like, get fucked."
The strained relationship between father and daughter was further illuminated by King's revelation that they were not close growing up and only connected later in life. She attributed their earlier disconnect to Schneider's disapproval of her appearance, which included sending her to a weight-loss camp and objecting to her tattoos and self-expression.
While Schneider has sought forgiveness and reconciliation, King remains firm in her stance, reiterating her lack of desire to repair their relationship, stating, "I don't want to be associated with him because he's just not nice."
The public back-and-forth between Schneider and King underscores the complex dynamics of family relationships and highlights the ongoing debate surrounding LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance in society.
