Robert De Niro’s Response On The News Of His Daughter Coming Out As Trans Is Worth Noting

Robert De Niro is not mincing words regarding his love and support of his trans daughter, Airyn De Niro. In a clear and pointed statement, he told Variety exactly how he feels about his child, whom he shares with actor and model Toukie Smith, being transgender.

“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,” he said. “I love all my children.”

He and Smith share Airyn and Airyn's twin brother, Julian, together. The couple were married in 1988 before divorcing in 1996.

In an April 2025 interview with Them magazine, Airyn came out as transgender after she was outed by a tabloid that shared paparazzi photos of her with long pink hair. The publication announced her identity as a trans woman.

Airyn, who started hormone therapy in 2024, told Them magazine that she never felt like she fit in when she was younger.

“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,” she told Them. “It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’”

She also said Smith and De Niro were always accepting of her queerness. However, despite their full support, she said she still felt anxiety transitioning.

“I think part of me is concerned that (my family) will maybe still think of me as the person I was before the transition," Airyn said.

Despite that caution, she told Them that she feels she’s entering into “the gender diaspora” with confidence, to which she credits her mother.

“Whenever I’m at a family gathering on my dad’s side, people would always talk about how much they love my mom and how memorable she was and how happy my dad was when he was with her,” Airyn said. “I want to be like that… I want to be remembered the way that people remember her.”