Saturday Night Live alum Rob Schneider has become one of comedy’s most controversial figures due to his increasingly divisive routines.
The comedian rose to fame on SNL in the early 1990s, where he was rarely known for taking part in the sketch show’s political humor. However, Schneider grew increasingly more controversial in recent years, leading up to him being asked to stop a performance at a Canadian fundraiser due to his offensive jokes in 2014.
“People get upset about things now. And that’s OK,” Schneider told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “I think the more challenging the comedy is and society is, the more interesting the stand-up and art is going to be. When everything’s smooth, art is boring. So the ’90s could have been kind of boring, but this is a good time now, and it’s a challenging time.”
Aside from his onstage conduct, Schneider has made headlines for his estrangement from his eldest daughter, Elle King, and for his third wife, Patricia Azarcoya Schneider, filing for divorce in late 2025.
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Keep scrolling for a rundown of some of Schneider’s most controversial moments.
Rob Schneider Is Estranged From Daughter Elle King
Singer-songwriter Elle King went public with her estrangement from her father, Rob Schneider, during an interview on Bunnie XO’s podcast, “Dumb Blonde,” in August 2024. (Elle was born during Rob’s brief marriage to model London King. Rob was later married to former model Helena Schneider from 2002 to 2005 and then settled down with third wife, producer and actress Patricia Azarcoya Schneider, in 2011. Rob and Patricia share two daughters, Miranda, born in 2012, and Madeline, born in 2016.)
Elle accused her dad of making “toxic and very silly” parenting decisions during her childhood, including sending her to a “fat camp.”
“I was, like, a really, really heavy child. My dad sent me to fat camp,” she recalled. “And then I got in trouble one year because I sprained my ankle and I didn’t lose any weight.”
The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer remembered spending time with her father on film sets where she said she’d often “get lost in the shuffle.”
“If I ever messed up a shot, if I ever was talking, I would get in f***ing trouble,” she said.
Elle mentioned that she occasionally went “four or five years” without speaking to Rob while also denying that he’d helped her music career in any way.
“He never helped me, I never wanted his help,” she said. “He also didn’t have a very good reputation. I don’t want to be associated with him.”
Elle admitted that she was not totally opposed to reconciliation and had tried to get through to Schneider by writing “letters” or even “yelling” at him. Still, the two were bitterly divided on politics and social issues.
“I disagree with a lot of the things that he says,” she stressed. “You’re talking out of your ass and you’re talking s*** about drag and, you know, anti-gay rights and it’s like get f***ed. He’s just talking out of his ass and I want to use this opportunity to say that I disagree. I do not agree with what he says.”
Rob Schneider Publicly Apologized to Daughter Elle King
Rob Schneider addressed his daughter Elle King’s criticism of his parenting during an August 2024 appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast.
“I want to just tell my daughter, Elle, I love you and I wish I was the father in my 20s that you needed and clearly I wasn’t and I hope you can forgive me for my shortcomings,” Rob told her.
He went on, “I love you completely. I love you entirely. And I just want you to be well and happy with you and your beautiful baby, Lucky. I wish you the best. I feel terrible and I just want you to know that I don’t take anything you say personally.”
Schneider was referencing Elle and her partner, Daniel Tooker, welcoming their son, Lucky, in September 2021. The couple’s younger son, Royal, arrived in February 2025.
Rob Schneider Caused Controversy at a Comedy Fundraiser
The SNL alum seemingly leaned in a bit too hard on his political views when he performed at the Hospital of Regina Foundation’s Four Seasons Ball charity event in Canada in June 2024. Multiple media outlets reported that he was asked to stop his scheduled set due to making transphobic and antivax jokes.
“Everyone in the room was groaning, saying, ‘What is going on?’ Like whispering to themselves. Not a single laugh at times,” an eyewitness told CBC News at the time. “It was just very apparent how uncomfortable everyone felt and how unacceptable the things he was talking about were.”
The Hospital of Regina Foundation later issued a public apology to stress that Schneider’s views did not “align with the values of our foundation.”
“We recognize that in a free and democratic society individuals are entitled to their views and opinions and that comedy is intended to be edgy,” the foundation said. “We do not condone, accept, endorse or share Mr. Schneider’s positions, as expressed during his comedy set and acknowledge that in this instance the performance did not meet the expectations of our audience and our team.”
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Their statement concluded, “A decision was, therefore, made to ask Mr. Schneider to end his performance earlier than intended, to which he agreed and immediately left the stage. An unconditional apology was offered right after to our guests and our community. We reiterate this sincere and unconditional apology today.”
Schneider defended himself by telling The Hollywood Reporter that the public outcry over his performance meant he was “doing it right.”
“The thing about free speech is, free speech is all speech. Free speech isn’t for the nice stuff,” he claimed. “It isn’t for the socially acceptable stuff. Free speech is the speech that challenges you. Free speech is the not-nice stuff. Easy speech or speech that’s acceptable to everybody doesn’t need any protection. I’m there to challenge the audience.”
Rob Schneider and His 3rd Wife Patricia Azarcoya Schneider Split in December 2025
Us Weekly reported in January 2026 that Rob Schneider’s third wife, Patricia Azarcoya Schneider, filed for divorce weeks earlier. Per court documents, the divorce petition was filed by Patricia on December 8, 2025, and Rob accepted service for the documents three days later.
Patricia specified that her marriage was “irretrievably broken and there is no possibility of reconciliation.” Rob and Patricia were ordered to attend a mandatory parenting course.
While a judge agreed to seal the outcome of the divorce case, initial paperwork indicated that Rob and Patricia were working towards a child support agreement.
Us reached out to Rob’s representative for comment.
Rob Schneider Faced a Backlash For His Comments About a Civil Rights Pioneer
Rob Schneider became more outspoken with his conservative views during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
In January 2017, he publicly called out Civil Rights leader John Lewis on Martin Luther King Day. Many on social media blasted Schneider for attempting to explain Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy to Lewis even though the two Civil Rights leaders marched together in Washington D.C. and Selma in the 1960s.
Taking issue over Lewis’ feud with Trump, Schneider tweeted, “Rep. Lewis. You are a great person. But Dr. King didn’t give in to his anger or his hurt. That is how he accomplished & won Civil Rights.”
Schneider was immediately condemned by people on both sides of the political spectrum for trying to lecture Lewis on Civil Rights.
“Rob Scheider lecturing anyone on anything is offensive, much less John Lewis on MLK Day. #facepalm,” one person wrote on Twitter (now X).
Another Twitter user tweeted: “As if rob schneider and his entire shtick as a sidekick to Adam Sandler career wasn’t embarrassing enough.”
Schneider later deleted his tweet.