What a lot of people don’t know is that Rob Schneider was married twice before his ongoing marriage to Patricia Azarcoya Arce. One of these marriages was to Helena Schenider, and the other was to former model London King.
London King is the mother of well-known singer Elle King, and she’s currently married to Justin Tess, the musician. But is that all we know about her? Let’s look at the biography, career, and family of London King.
The Biography of London King
London King was born on the 27th of September, 1971, making her currently 52 years old.
Image source: instagram
She was born in Ohio, though she now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are Paula King, who worked as a pharmacist back in Ohio, and David King. She also has a brother, Williams Scott King, though not much is known about him or the rest of her family.
King was formerly married to famous comedian Rob Schneider. Now, she’s happily married to musician Justin Tesa.
London was interested in modeling and fashion from a young age, and she got her first modeling gigs during her teenage years. However, fate had a different road planned out for her. She got pregnant for the first time in 1986 when she was only 15 years old. So, she had to ditch the modeling career until her son, Noah, was born.
Image source: instagram
After that, she went on to become an actress, but her career was mostly limited to supporting roles.
The Career of London King
London King had quite a career, bouncing from modeling to acting to birthing.
When London King first started modeling, she appeared in plenty of commercials and ads, though she didn’t sign with a major brand.
Image source: instagram
After giving birth to Noah, she returned to modeling for some time, appearing on various magazine covers. Then, she ventured into acting, having supporting roles in some of the 2000s movies.
She acted in The Calling, Raw Fish, and A Better Way to Die. By 2002, she decided that creative careers weren’t for her, and she decided to become a doula instead.
A doula’s job is to help women give birth, supporting them emotionally and physically, and giving them all the information they need to know before giving birth.
Image source: instagram
However, London King is now retired and is enjoying a quiet life with her husband, Justin Tessa. She’s also dedicating her time to her kids and grandchildren.
London Was Her Daughter’s Doula
In 2021, Elle became pregnant with her first and only child. In September of the same year, she gave birth to a baby boy, and apparently, her own mother was the doula for the birth.
After giving birth, Elle uploaded an Instagram post to thank her mother for being highly supportive during the birth, although she still had to get a c-section to give birth to her baby boy.
View this post on Instagram
London King’s Two Marriages
London King first became pregnant at 15, but the father of her child is still unknown to this day. Since he hasn’t made any public appearances with her over the years, it’s safe to assume they’re no longer on a talking basis.
Two years after she gave birth to her son, she met comedian Rob Schneider and married him shortly after, though he’s eight years older than her. They tied the knot in 1988, which means she was only 17 years old at the time.
Together with Schneider, she gave birth to a baby girl, currently popularly known as Elle King.
Image source: instagram
Unfortunately, her marriage to the famous American actor didn’t last for long, and they got divorced in 1990. He got married twice after his divorce from London, and he’s been happily married to Patririca Azarcoya since 2011, whom he shares two daughters with.
Apparently, London thought she could use some alone time to re-evaluate her life, so she didn’t get into a serious relationship again until ten years later.
In 2000, she married Justin Tesa, who she’s still married to until today. He’s currently the stepfather of Elle King, and theories have it that he inspired her musical career.
Image source: instagram
Now, London King is a grandmother to both Elle and Noah’s kids.
The Split From Rob Schneider and Its Effect on Elle
Though London King’s relationship with Rob Schneider was short-lived, it left a long-term imprint on their daughter, Elle King.
At a young age, Elle’s relationship with her father was strained because he was a workaholic. In her own words, she rarely saw him during her childhood. The fact that she was a chubby kid also caused her to be bullied by kids in her class. She says that as the chubby kid whose father didn’t visit often, she was prone to bullying.
It helped a bit that her mother married Justin Tesa in 2000 when Elle was 11 years old. She had a paternal figure in her life, and she was closer to him than her own father, but she still felt Rob’s absence.
Not only that, but Rob also got married and had a kid while not talking to Elle. Until 2012, the daughter and father weren’t present in each other’s lives, and Elle says that she didn’t talk to him even when she released her first album.
In 2011, Rob married his third and current wife, Patricia, and had two daughters with her. According to Elle, she wanted to have a relationship with her sisters, so she decided to reconnect with her father. Apparently, the reconnection went great because she said that Rob became her biggest supporter, and her relationship with her younger sisters was incredible.
In 2023, Rob uploaded a sweet post for Elle’s birthday, calling her an awesome mama to her only son. So, it looks like the rocky past between the father and daughter is long forgotten.
Image source: Pinterest
Final Thoughts
Image source: instagram
London King married Rob Schnieder when she was only 18 years old, but the marriage left a long-term imprint on her life. She gave birth to her only daughter, Elle, who turned out to be a famous singer and songwriter. Before that, she’d given birth to her eldest son, Noah, whom she became pregnant with at the age of 15.
After venturing into modeling and acting, London decided to ditch these careers and became a doula instead to help mothers give birth. She was even the doula for the birth of her own daughter.
Now, she’s a retired doula who’s happily married to musician Justin Tesa, and she’s taking care of her kids and grandkids.
Featured image source: instagram
