"I don’t know what the big deal is" — Robert De Niro extends his "love and support" for daughter Airyn after she comes out as transgender

Actor Robert De Niro is showing love for his daughter Airyn De Niro, who recently came out as transgender. In a statement made to People magazine on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, the Oscar-winning actor noted:

"I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children."

De Niro's statement comes after Airyn, 29, discussed "stepping into this new identity" during her interview with LGBTQ magazine, Them, on Tuesday. The actor shares Airyn and her twin brother Julian with actress Toukie Smith.

Talking to the outlet about growing up as De Niro's daughter, the 29-year-old explained there was a difference between being "visible" and being "seen," adding she'd never been seen yet.

---

"I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something" — Despite Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith accepting her, many did not, explains Airyn

According to Them, Airyn recently changed her look, getting pink-colored locs. To the 29-year-old, the look "felt right." However, paparazzi snapped pictures of her last month as she visited Robert De Niro at the Greenwich Hotel. Per the outlet, tabloids soon began reporting on her appearance, with one even calling her a "nepo baby" who underwent a "shock transformation."

The 29-year-old told Them, none of the publications contacted her before reporting on her appearance, robbing her of the opportunity to come out on her own terms:

"Not only did they get information wrong about me… They just sort of reminded me that people really don’t know anything about me."

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Airyn De Negro (@voiceofairyn)

 

Despite being born to Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith, Airyn grew up away from the "limelight." Noting that "no parent (was) perfect," the 29-year-old expressed she was grateful for her parents' decision to want her to have "as much of a normal childhood as possible."

Per Them, while her parents "accept(ed) her queerness," Airyn's peers did not. She was often "excluded" and "taunted" for being different. She recalled never having a boyfriend at a young age and feeling "(un)desirable" and (un)attractive." The 29-year-old explained:

"I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something growing up: Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough. It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’"

Eventually, seeing successful trans women, Airyn began accepting herself. She began hormone therapy last November. Sharing her story, she hoped to be an inspiration for at least one person who was like her, "Black," "queer," and "not a size extra small." Elsewhere, she explained she was studying to become a mental health counselor to help people with similar struggles.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Them (@them)

Of the claims that she was a "nepo baby," the 29-year-old told Them that she wanted to find success on her own "merit." She explained that De Niro wanted his children to "find (their) own" paths.

Robert De Niro is also the father of Drena, 53, and Raphael, 48, whom he shares with actress Diahnne Abbott. He shares Elliot, 27, and Helen Grace, 13, with socialite Grace Hightower. In April 2023, De Niro welcomed his seventh child, Gia, 2, with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

During an interview with People magazine in January 2020, the Taxi Driver actor explained that he wanted all his children to be "happy" but also not "sell (them)selves short." He added:

"That’s the most I would say — push yourself a little more and reach for what you really think it is you want to do. Don’t be afraid. It’s important for them to find their own lane."

Robert De Niro is no stranger to queerness. According to a September 2019 article by The Guardian, his father, painter Robert De Niro Sr., was a gay man. The outlet reported that after he died in 1993, the painter left behind four journals. He detailed his struggles with homos*xuality and fears.

De Niro previously appeared in the HBO documentary Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr. (2014), where he read excerpts from his father's diary entries. According to the NY Post, the actor also boasts a GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award (received in 2016) for his work in support of the LGBTQ+ community.