Robert De Niro is expressing “love and assist” for his daughter Airyn De Niro after she lately got here out as transgender.
“I cherished and supported Aaron as my son, and now I like and assist Airyn as my daughter. I don’t know what the large deal is,” Robert De Niro, 81, instructed Selection in a press release. “I like all my youngsters.”
In a current interview with Them, Airyn, 29, spoke about “getting into this new id” and shared particulars about rising up as considered one of seven youngsters within the De Niro family.
“There’s a distinction between being seen and being seen,” Airyn instructed the outlet. “I’ve been seen. I don’t assume I’ve been seen but.”
Airyn mentioned that “no mother or father is ideal, however I’m grateful that each my dad and mom agreed to maintain me out of the limelight. They’ve instructed me they wished me to have as a lot of a standard childhood as doable.”
She additionally spoke candidly about feeling like a “late bloomer.”
“I used to be at all times instructed I used to be an excessive amount of of one thing or not sufficient of one thing rising up: Too massive, not skinny sufficient. Not Black sufficient, not white sufficient. Too female, not masculine sufficient,” she defined. “It was by no means simply, ‘You’re good, simply the best way you might be.’”
She revealed that she determined to start hormone remedy final November.

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“I’d wish to hopefully be an inspiration for at the very least one different individual like me who’s Black, who’s queer, who’s not a dimension additional small,” Airyn mentioned. “I’d wish to see extra trans girls, extra Black girls who’re perhaps bigger-bodied or don’t match the mildew of tremendous skinny or heroin stylish.”
Airyn additionally mentioned the individuals she’s appeared as much as when deciding to go public along with her transition, together with Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox.
“Trans girls being sincere and open, particularly (in) public areas like social media and attending to see them of their success,” Airyn mentioned. “I’m like, ‘ what? Possibly it’s not too late for me.’”
After studying Airyn’s interview, Cox took to Instagram to share a video devoted to her.
“I simply wish to take a second and provides a particular shout-out to Airyn De Niro. Hello Airyn, I simply learn that I’m one of many girls who’ve impressed you through the years and I’m deeply, deeply honoured that I might be an inspiration for you,” Cox mentioned.
“I usually have moments — significantly in these deeply troubling occasions — moments of feeling like I’m not doing sufficient, that I needs to be doing extra. And I at all times must remind myself that if I can contact one individual’s life, if I can encourage somebody, one individual, to be extra themselves, to stay authentically, to embrace each single facet of who they’re, then that’s sufficient.
“Studying that from you, Airyn, was a reminder that I’ve sufficient, I’m sufficient and I do sufficient. I wish to congratulate you on embracing the wonder that you’re. And I’m not speaking concerning the exterior, I’m speaking concerning the magnificence that’s being trans.”
After Airyn’s interview was revealed, she took to Instagram to thank everybody for all of the assist she’s obtained.
“Thanks to everybody who’s been so candy and supportive! I’m not used to all these eyes on me,” she wrote. “Additionally for the parents asking if I’ve illustration or signed to anybody, I’m actually only a lady with a cellphone, so sorry if I miss your messages!”

A screenshot of Airyn De Niro’s Instagram submit.
@VoiceOfAiryn / Instagram
Airyn’s mom is actor Toukie Smith, who shares Airyn and her twin brother Julian, 29, with De Niro.
The Killers of the Flower Moon actor can also be the daddy of daughter Drena, 53, and son Raphael, 48, whom he shares with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, to whom he was married from 1976 to 1988.
He’s additionally father to son Elliot, 27, and daughter Helen Grace, 13, whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower. He welcomed his two-year-old daughter Gia with girlfriend Tiffany Chen in April 2023.
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