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Veteran actor, director, and film producer Robert De Niro's daughter, Airyn De Niro, has come out as transgender. She shared her gender-transitioning experience with the queer outlet, Them, in an interview published on April 29, 2025.
“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,'” Airyn stated.
Airyn De Niro, 29, is an actress and model who uses the pronouns she/ her. She previously came out as gay in high school. At the time, her family acknowledged her "queerness." However, to date, she states that she is still afraid that they would see her as the same person she was before her transition.
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Airyn added that she began hormone therapy in November 2024 and called herself a "late bloomer." She also mentioned realizing it wasn't "too late" for her to share her experiences as a trans woman and her being inspired by other trans women who continue to share their journey.
“Trans women being honest and open, especially in public spaces like social media, and getting to see them in their success… I'm like, 'You know what? Maybe it's not too late for me. Maybe I can start,'” Airyn stated.
More about Airyn De Niro’s gender transition
Airyn De Niro was born to Robert De Niro, 81, and his former girlfriend, actress and model Toukie Smith, 72. She has a twin brother, Julian Henry De Niro, and the duo was born using IVF and surrogacy in October 1995. She is now an actress, voice artist, model, mental health counselor, and avid gamer.
During her recent conversation with the online publication Them, Airyn De Niro shared that Halle Bailey's character and locks in the 2023 live-action movie The Little Mermaid inspired her gender transition.
She made her first appointment at a Black hair salon, which marked a step toward "liberatory gender expression." She also noted that another "big part" of her transition was Black women's influence on her.
“I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way,” she noted.
Airyn De Niro mentioned she has always been a "bigger-bodied person" in a family of "thin or fit" members and often "stood out like a sore thumb," as she had nobody around to share her experiences with.
“I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet,” she noted, stating there’s a difference between the two.
Robert De Niro's daughter told Them that she didn't fit the "beauty standard" as a gay man and described the community as "ruthless and mean."
Airyn De Niro, who has followed in the footsteps of her mother, and pursued a career in acting and modeling. She told the outlet that she wished to inspire "at least one other person" who's "Black," "queer," and "not a size extra small."
“I’d want to see more trans women, more Black women who are maybe bigger-bodied or don’t fit the mold of super thin or heroin chic,” she added.
The model mentioned that she was grateful to her parents for keeping her out of the limelight and allowing her to have a regular and private life. She shared that her mother was her idol.
"I want to be remembered the way that people remember her… The way [my mom] would conduct or hold herself, the way that I saw her interact with others in public when I was younger, I see myself emulating that in some way," Airyn De Niro observed.
"Whether it's just turning on the charm or not putting on a mask, but wanting to be feminine in a way that's inviting and warm and welcoming," she noted.
The New Yorker also told the queer website Them that the media's recent portrayal of her made her realize that people didn't know anything about her. It referenced the Daily Mail's March 19, 2025, description of her as Robert De Niro's "nepo baby son."
Before her coming out as a trans woman this month, Airyn De Niro shared with her Instagram followers in February 2025 that she was "Patiently waiting for my (her) t*ts to grow in."
Besides Airyn and Julian, Robert De Niro has other children, including Drena De Niro, who is 57 years old, Raphael De Niro, who is 48, Elliot De Niro, 27, Helen Grace De Niro, 13, and the youngest Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, who is two years old, from two prior marriages and other past relationships.
The Intern star has been a longtime advocate of the LGBTQ+ community and was honored with the 2016 GLAAD Excellence in Media Award for his contribution to raising awareness and working for queer rights. In his 2014 HBO documentary Remembering the Artist: Robert De Niro, Sr., he shared his family's story and that of his father, who was a gay artist.
