All About Reneé Rapp’s Parents, Charles Rapp and Denise Olexa

Reneé Rapp has had a tumultuous career since her big break as Regina George in the Broadway production Mean girls in 2019 — but she wouldn’t have made it for good or bad without her parents, Charles Rapp and Denise Olex.

The “Pretty Girls” singer was born on January 10, 2000, in Huntersville, North Carolina, after Denise’s work forced the couple to move there, according to Los Angeles Times. Her parents raised her to constantly strive to be the best she could be, instilling in her a strong work ethic.

Although her parents may be strict with her, Renée said she can thank them for supporting her when she struggled with disordered eating while starring in Mean girls.

From their careers to their children, here’s everything you need to know about Reneé Rapp’s parents, Charles Rapp and Denise Olexa.

Denise and Charles raised Reneé in North Carolina

Charlie Rapp and Denise Rapp speak onstage during NBC’s “Today” show at Rockefeller Plaza on July 28, 2023 in New York City.

Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage

Denise and Charles met when they were both students at West Virginia University Los Angeles Times. They moved to North Carolina together when Denise got a job as a CPA in 1995, while Charles continued to work in medical device sales.

They have two children together

Renee Rapp with her parents Charlie Rapp and Denise Rapp and brother Charles Rapp at the 2018 National High School Musical Theater Awards After-Party in New York City on June 25, 2018.

Henry McGee/MediaPunch/Alamy

Reneé’s parents welcomed their second child, Charles, on August 5, 2003. Reneé’s younger brother is also a performer and often posts clips of himself singing on his Instagram.

In November 2023, he joined Reneé on stage during her Snow Hard Feelings tour in New York.

Reneé tricked her mom into letting her get Facebook when she was in high school

When Reneé was in high school, she told Denise she wanted to get Facebook so she could “stay connected with him [her] grandmother,” she told TIME in August 2023. Instead, she posted a status update that she kissed her high school boyfriend for the first time.

“My mom saw it and was furious,” Reneé said. “She asked, ‘Do you kiss in my home?’ And I said: ‘Yes, I am a single woman. You can’t tell me what to do with my body!’ ”

They encouraged Reneé’s career from an early age

Renee Rapp attends the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Both Denise and Charles have a strong work ethic that they passed on to Reneé as she grew up.

“I’m very competitive, and I think Denise is, too,” Charles said Los Angeles Times in September 2023. “Growing up, we would tell Reneé if [her voice] it didn’t sound good. I used to say to her: ‘OK, that was fantastic, Reneé, but what could you have done differently? How could you have done it better?’ ”

Even now, Charles doesn’t hesitate to keep pushing his daughter. After her performance at TODAY show in July 2023, Renee was joined on stage by her parents where she told host Hoda Kotb that her dad quickly expires when she’s straight, making her nervous about performing in front of him.

“My dad is very critical, if I’m straight, I’ll hear from him later and he’ll be like, ‘Here’s my notes,'” she said, to which her dad added, “Oh yeah.”

Reneé admitted that she wasn’t always the biggest fan of her parents’ feedback as a child. “Are you ——- kidding me? How can you not see what you are doing?” she remembered Los Angeles Times about how she reacted as a child.

Charles now admits he feels guilty that he may have pushed her too hard and likes that he and Denise “could have done better.”

Denise added that maybe Reneé was already so hard on herself that she internalized too much of what she was being told.

“She’s so hard on herself that she takes what you and I might think of as a debrief after any business meeting or whatever and turns it into, ‘OK, I’ve got to be a lot better,'” she said. He said.

Reneé came out to her parents when she was still in high school

When Reneé tried to explain her sexuality to her parents as a teenager, they didn’t take her completely seriously, she later said. Los Angeles Times they didn’t understand the extent to which she struggles with bisexuality.

Reneé recalled the time when she was 15 years old when she asked her dad if a friend could spend the night at her place, and he said no. When she said she used to sleep with girls she had crushes on, he laughed.

“And he said, ‘OK, I’m sure you know,’ and he just laughed,” she recalled. “It hurt so bad. I think he just said, ‘You’re not gay, bisexual people aren’t real.’ ”

Charles said he remembers the moment differently, adding that he accepts Reneé just the way she is.

“It was, like, OK, you like the girl? Whatever you do, that’s fine,” he said. “As long as you’re happy. I just want you to be safe, happy and healthy. If you like the bug, that’s fine. Adopt a bug, put it with you, and we’ll take care of you and the bug.”

They flew in every weekend while she was battling an eating disorder

Renee Rapp.

Nina Westervelt/Variety/Penske Media/Getty

In 2019, while she was starring in a Broadway production Mean girls, Reneé developed an eating disorder after hearing criticism about her weight online. She began severely restricting her diet to the point where she would get dizzy during rehearsals and began to worry about her health.

She eventually called her parents crying and begging for help, telling them she felt like she couldn’t bear to go back to the theater and put on her costume again. That’s when her parents realized something was seriously wrong.

“They saw me struggling and said, ‘Oh, she’s not doing this for drama. We were telling her this was a choice, to tighten her fucking belts and go to her fucking job,’ and they saw that they couldn’t, she said. LA Times.

After her call, her parents began flying to New York every weekend and set her up with a doctor and a therapist.

Although Reneé said Guard that her parents are “more worried than ever because they know more now”, she is still happy to have their support. “They worry like hell, but they relax, I guess,” she added.

Denise and Charles were also able to find peace through Reneé’s devoted fan base. When they came out on TODAY stage, Charles said the outpouring of support for his daughter was “humbling”.

“It’s very humbling to see everything,” he said. “I worry about her all the time, but it’s good to see her.”

“She has amazing fans,” Denise added.

Reneé wrote a song inspired by Denise

On his debut EP, Everything for everyone, Reneé released a song called “Don’t Tell My Mom,” which she described to PEOPLE as a “love letter” to her mom.

The song is about the guilt Reneé feels when she talks to her mom about her problems, she often feels like she’s weighing her down, even making Denise’s friends question how Reneé is really doing.

“A lot of my mom’s friends were attacking my mom saying, ‘Is Reneé okay?’ ” she said. “She was like, ‘She’s good, she’s good.’ ”

Reneé said she was hesitant about releasing the song – and so was Denise.

“She was a little bit nervous because, to be honest, not only did it expose my childhood, but it kind of exposed my mom,” the “In the Kitchen” singer said. “She’s the right one for letting me.”

Charles left Reneé encouraging notes

Renee Rapp performs at the Fox Theater on October 2, 2023 in Oakland, California.

Dana Jacobs/Getty

When she was on TODAY show, Reneé said that “everything” her dad tells her is the best advice, but there were five main principles in particular that he always wanted her to keep in mind while growing up.

“He always told me when I was growing up that there are five things I must always remember,” she recalled. “And he would always write those five things on sticky notes and give them to me or put them in my room or in my car. When I was a kid, I would always get so annoyed by them, and now I get so excited whenever he comes to my house and leaves sticky notes.”

She said those five things are intelligence, character, respect, humility and one more that she can’t remember.

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Source: HIS Education