Robert De Niro’s daughter reveals how family reacted after coming out as transgender: ‘No parent is perfect, but…’ | Hollywood News

Robert De Niro’s daughter Airyn De Niro came out as transgender and, after staying away from the limelight for years, has finally decided to share her experience of embracing her queer identity in one one of Hollywood’s famous families and how the family reacted to the situation. While speaking to Them magazine, the rarely-seen child of The Godfather 2 star opened up a bit about her new identity as a Black trans woman, and what helped her make that decision. She said she wasn’t attending premieres, wasn’t part of her dad’s movie sets, and didn’t get the usual “nepo ba” treatment.
“I wasn’t brought up having a side part in one of dad’s movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path… I would want [success] to happen on my own merit.”
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Airyn said her family was supportive when she first came out as gay in high school and recalled the time when she felt like a “bigger-bodied person” growing up. Unlike others in the family, her siblings, especially, who were “relatively thin,” she said, “so I sort of stood out like a sore thumb and there wasn’t anybody in my family that could relate to that experience.”
“Obviously, no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They wanted it to be very private,” Airyn said. “They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.” From a young age, she felt like she was always being told she was either too much of something or not enough. “Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough,” she recalled. “It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’” Though the world has labelled her a nepo ba, Airyn feels she doesn’t deserve that title.  Even when she’s been “visible” as De Niro’s daughter, she hasn’t truly felt seen as her full self. “I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”
Also read: Robert De Niro wanted Anupam Kher out of a scene in Silver Linings Playbook; Kher gave the director ‘a piece of his mind’ in front of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence
Airyn is Robert De Niro’s daughter with actress Toukie Smith. The couple welcomed twins in 1995 — Airyn and her brother Julian Henry De Niro. At 29, she’s grateful for growing up away from the limelight and having supportive parents, but she still fears that her family might see her as the same person she was before. Airyn was born as Aaron, and it was in November 2024 that she began hormonal therapy.Story continues below this ad
‘The influence of  Black women on me’
In her interview, Airyn specially mentioned how the biggest part of her decision was driven the impact of black women on her, “I think a big part of [my transition] is also the influence Black women have had on me,” for her stepping into this new identity while being prid of her “blackness,’ made her feel closer to them.
Just like her famous parent, Airyn too wants to build a career in acting and even auditioned for a role in Euphoria, which could’ve been her big break, but the role went to Hunter Schafer. But she still wants to be an actress and model, just like her mom, Toukie. She’s also studying to become a mental health counsellor. “I’d want to hopefully be an inspiration for at least one other person like me — who is Black, who is queer, who’s not a size extra small,” she said.