Elle King’s ups and downs through the years
Elle King has experienced major ups and downs over the years on her way to stardom.
King rose to prominence after releasing her self-titled EP in 2012. Three years later, the singer dropped her debut album Love Stuff, which earned her two Grammy Award nominations. King continued to find success by touring with acts such as Of Monsters and Men, The Chicks, Joan Jett, Michael Kiwanuka And Miranda Lambert.
As she worked her way up in the music industry, King emphasized the importance of finding success on her own. (Her parents are comedians Rob Schneider and former model London king.)
‘It’s not that I wanted to be a famous person. I wanted to be an artist,” she told ABC News in November 2015. “But I worked very hard and I did everything myself and I adopted a name that is my mother’s name. I took that name because I wanted to be myself.”
Elle continued: “And yes, people know who my dad is. But I think my voice and my music speak for themselves: that I am my own person.”
Despite starting her career with a focus on rock, Elle found herself changing her sound, revealing that she began to feel “more comfortable” as she delved into country music.
“If anyone asked, ‘Why would Elle King make a country record?’ Well, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll tell you. Just start with the first song,’” she told Country Now in March 2023. “So that’s why I wrote [the song] ‘Ohio’ because I share where I’m from, what I love about country music and it’s also my love letter.
Keep scrolling for a look back at Elle’s ups and downs over the years:
Let her start
Elle was born and raised in Los Angeles by father Rob and mother London. She decided to become a musician after receiving a record from the all-female hard rock band The Donnas at the age of 9. She also made her acting debut alongside her father in his late ’90s film. Deuce Bigalow: male gigolo.
Three years after the release of her 2012 EP, King’s single “Ex’s & Oh’s” became a smashing success.
“It’s sweet now because you don’t want to be a famous person’s child and I’m just so happy that I’m at this point in my life [people saying]’Are you Elle King’s father?’” Schneider previously said We weekly in May 2018 about supporting his daughter. “I’m just really happy for her that she’s really in a good place creatively that she’s just happy about.”
Making a professional change
Rocky romance
After less than a month of dating, Elle got engaged Andrew Ferguson in February 2016. They married 12 days later during a sailing trip. Elle announced their split in May 2017 with an emotional post on social media.
“It was and forever will be one of the happiest days of my life. My heart is broken. My soul hurts. I am lost. He is the greatest love of my life. He is my best friend,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “As we part and try to find our footing in life, I can only hope that we both find happiness within ourselves.”
News later broke that Ferguson was arrested and charged with domestic violence in April 2017 after he allegedly grabbed Elle by the throat and threatened to kill her. Ferguson denied the allegations and the charges were subsequently dropped. The former couple briefly reconciled in late 2017 before splitting for good.
After ending her marriage to Ferguson, Elle started dating Josh Loganbut their romance faded.
Finding the One
In 2019, Elle found love with a tattoo artist Then Tooker. The couple both popped the question to each other a year later.
“We rode horses up a mountain to look for gold,” Tooker shared via Instagram in October 2020. “I had a ring in my pocket and I wanted to throw it in the gold pan and propose to @tattooker… but of course, my soulmate beat me and proposed to me in the exact same way. So I immediately got down on my knee.”
In response to the post, Elle replied, “I love you, Daniel. One year on, forever to go. By the way, I said yes and so did he!”
A difficult road to parenthood
Elle suffered multiple miscarriages before becoming pregnant with her and Tooker’s rainbow baby son Lucky, born in September 2021.
“I’m really excited to take Lucky on the road. It has been a huge dream of mine to become a mother and start a family. And I always dreamed of my family touring with me and seeing the world and experiencing life together,” Elle shared. Music Mayhem Magazine in August 2022. “It’s really fun and it fills my heart and he’s the best.”
Speaking out about her struggle
“I really like drinking and singing. I don’t want to get as drunk as I used to,” Elle told the San Diego Union-Tribune in February 2022. “It’s easier for me to say, ‘Yes, I want to drink and party and… [then] get on stage.” I get nervous before I go on stage, [so] I have a few drinks [first]. Drinking makes me less nervous when I touch the notes when I sing. If I don’t make them, it won’t sting as much.”
Many celebrity splits have rocked Hollywood over the years, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, as well as Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. Tatum and Dewan’s love story began on the set of 2006’s Step Up, where they starred as on-screen love interests. The duo tied the knot in 2009 and welcomed daughter Everly in 2013. […]
Fueling split speculation
Elle sparked split speculation when she performed at the Stagecoach Festival in May 2023, wearing a jacket with the word “single” on it. A month later, Elle received a cryptic response about the outfit and her relationship with Tooker.
“I really love love, I think love is a beautiful thing. All I can say is that me and my family are very happy, my child is doing well and I feel great. This is what life looks like for me now,” she said Entertainment tonight. “I think if we were to change and say we have self-love, that would be a nice little twist.”
Grand Ole Opry response
During a tribute to Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry in January 2024, Elle slurred her words on stage and cursed profusely. “You’re not getting your money back,” she told one heckler in footage captured at the event. “I’ll tell you one more thing: ‘Hello, my name is Elle King [and] I’m f-king hammered. ”
Fans slammed Elle’s drunken behavior and wondered why she was allowed to shout obscenities on the family-friendly ‘Opry Goes Dolly’ show.
The Opry issued an apology shortly after the show, writing, “We deeply regret and apologize for the language used during last night’s second Opry performance.”
King remained silent about the incident, but announced on social media that her January 2024 final show at Billy Bob’s Texas was postponed for eight months. She also cleared her February show schedule and postponed performances until March.
Two months later, King broke her silence, writing via Instagram, “To everyone who sends me love because I’m human and already talked to Dolly 💅 I love you.” To everyone who told me to kill myself, I love you too.