{"id":11069,"date":"2026-08-19T16:18:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T16:18:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=11069"},"modified":"2026-08-19T17:26:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T17:26:38","slug":"rob-schneider-leans-on-his-faith-hoping-to-reconcile-with-estranged-daughter-elle-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2026\/08\/rob-schneider-leans-on-his-faith-hoping-to-reconcile-with-estranged-daughter-elle-king.html","title":{"rendered":"Rob Schneider Leans on His Faith, Hoping to Reconcile With Estranged Daughter Elle King"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: Kathy Hutchins \/ Shutterstock.com | Right: agwilson \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rob Schneider is holding out hope that his strained relationship with daughter Elle King can one day be repaired, saying his Christian faith is helping him navigate the family rift through love, forgiveness and a willingness to keep the door open.<\/p>\n

During an appearance on Andrew Gold\u2019s \u201cHeretics\u201d podcast, the 62-year-old comedian and former \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d star spoke candidly about his estrangement from King, 37, and acknowledged his own shortcomings as a father.<\/p>\n

Schneider recalled previously admitting publicly that he \u201cwasn\u2019t the dad\u201d his daughter needed and said he was unprepared for the response he received from other parents who had experienced similar estrangements from their adult children.<\/p>\n

King has previously shared a much different perspective on their relationship. During a 2024 appearance on BunnieXO\u2019s \u201cDumb Blonde\u201d podcast, the country singer described parts of her childhood as \u201ctoxic\u201d and claimed there were stretches of four or five years when she and Schneider did not speak.<\/p>\n

She also recalled spending summers with her father on movie sets, where she said she often felt overlooked, and claimed Schneider forgot her birthdays. King said she had tried different ways to repair their relationship over the years but eventually came to recognize that she could not control another person\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can want someone to change so much; you can\u2019t control anyone else\u2019s actions,\u201d King said. \u201cYou can\u2019t control people\u2019s feelings. All you can control is how you react and what you do with your feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schneider later publicly apologized for his failures as a father. While he remains unsure whether his daughter accepted that apology, he said he wants King to know he will be there if she ever wants to reconnect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe door\u2019s open, and I would say, you know, I love you and … I\u2019m there when you want,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cThe thing about, as a parent, you just have to love and be available and be an open door. My door\u2019s always open.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed that repairing the relationship is not something he can force.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second she needs me, I\u2019ll be there,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cThat\u2019s all you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schneider also explained how his belief in a higher power has shaped the way he approaches difficult seasons in his life. Fame, success and other worldly attachments can disappear, he said, making it important to ground life in something greater.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen things get taken away, and if that\u2019s everything \u2014 your fame and your attachment to this stuff \u2014 if that gets taken from you, and that\u2019s all you have, then you have nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if you realize there is something higher than all of that and your connection to that, then at that point there\u2019s nothing that anybody could do to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Schneider, who has publicly embraced Catholicism in recent years, Christianity has also offered a lesson in what it means to forgive and release the pain of the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing about Christianity, it\u2019s really \u2026 it\u2019s love others, and it\u2019s really about forgiveness,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd forgiveness isn\u2019t something you give to somebody else. It\u2019s a gift you give to yourself. You can\u2019t carry stuff. You have to let go.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Schneider appears willing to do just that \u2014 letting go of what he cannot control while leaving the door open for his daughter. His hope is simple: remain available, continue to love King and allow reconciliation to happen on her terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rob Schneider is holding out hope that his strained relationship with daughter Elle King can one day be repaired, saying his Christian faith is helping him navigate the family rift through love, forgiveness and a willingness to keep the door open. During an appearance on Andrew Gold\u2019s \u201cHeretics\u201d podcast, the 62-year-old comedian and former \u201cSaturday…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":11078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRob Schneider Leans on His Faith, Hoping to Reconcile With Estranged Daughter Elle King<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rob Schneider says his Christian faith is helping him navigate his estrangement from daughter Elle King as he hopes for reconciliation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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