Robert De Niro’s Daughter Breaks Silence on Her Transgender Journey in Emotional Interview
Here’s a curveball for you: what does it take to step out of the shadow of Hollywood royalty and rewrite your own script—especially when the tabloids have already cast you as their “shock transformation” headline? Meet Airyn De Niro, Robert De Niro’s daughter, who’s grabbing the mic to proudly introduce herself not as the “nepo baby” gossip columnists love to pounce on, but as a transgender woman boldly living her truth. After a month of being misgendered and misunderstood by the press, Airyn decided, enough is enough—it’s time to take the narrative back, to open up about her identity, her experiences growing up as one of seven De Niro kids, and the sometimes rough roads she’s traveled in the queer community. Whether it’s confronting body-shaming, facing prejudice, or chasing dreams on her own terms, Airyn’s story isn’t just about celebrity—it’s about owning who you are, loud and clear. Ready to learn how she’s flipping the script on fame and identity?
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Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, is proudly introducing herself to the world on her own terms as a transgender woman.
About a month after tabloids misgendered her and fixated on her “shocking transformation,” Airyn realized people didn’t know anything about her.
So, to share her authentic self and to take control of the narrative, the 29-year-old spoke about her queerness and what it was like growing up as Robert De Niro’s daughter.
- Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, decided it was time to open up about her transgender identity to stop public and media speculation.
- She spoke about how her family dealt with her queerness in a new interview.
- The aspiring actress also shared the struggles of being gay in high school and how there are prejudices within the LGBTQ+ community as well.
- Airyn is one of seven children born to Robert De Niro.
Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, is introducing herself to the world as a transgender woman
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images
Airyn was born to the Taxi Driver star and actress Toukie Smith in 1995. She is one of seven children fathered by the legendary actor.
The 29-year-old sat down for an interview with LGBTQ+ magazine Them and spoke about being femme-presenting since middle school.
Image credits: Robin Platze / Getty Images
Airyn came out as a gay boy in high school and eventually decided to begin hormone therapy, which she started in November, 2024.
The aspiring model and voice actor said she decided to open up about her transgender identity when British tabloid Daily Mail carried an article about her last month.
“Robert De Niro’s nepo baby son shows off shock transformation with heels and pink hair in rare sighting,” screamed the headline, covering the story of her meeting her famous father at a hotel .
Airyn decided to talk about her transgender identity to take control of the narrative about her
Image credits: voiceofairyn / Instagram
“Not only did they get information wrong about me… They just sort of reminded me that people really don’t know anything about me,” Airyn told the magazine.
Among the issues she had with the article, she said the title of “nepo baby” didn’t sit well with her.
Image credits: voiceofairyn / Instagram
Her parents raised her away from the limelight and the glitz of Hollywood.
“I wasn’t brought up having a side part in one of dad’s movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres,” Airyn said, noting that her father was “very big” on them finding their “own sort of path.”
“I would want [success] to happen on my own merit,” the aspiring model and voice actor said
As she recalled her childhood in New York City, she said her family accepted her queerness. But her peers and schoolmates would ridicule her for her body, her femininity, and her biracial identity.
“I always grew up a bigger-bodied person,” she told the magazine. “Everybody else in the family [was] relatively thin or fit; I was not, so I sort of stood out like a sore thumb and there wasn’t anybody in my family that could relate to that experience.”
Being gay in high school also exposed her to the racism and body-shaming attitude within the gay community as well.
“[Gay men were] ruthless and mean. I didn’t even fit that beauty standard, which is thin, white, muscular, or just super fit, masculine,” said Airyn.
“I was always told I was too much of something or not enough of something growing up: Too big, not skinny enough,” she continued. “Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough. It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’”
Airyn said being gay in high school exposed her to the prejudices within the LGBTQ+ community as well
Image credits: voiceofairyn / Instagram
Over the years, Airyn embraced her transgender identity. She called herself a “late bloomer” but was convinced it was “not too late” for her to start hormone therapy.
