Robert De Niro’s daughter’s identity revelation exposed.
Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, has officially come out as transgender in a vulnerable, eye-opening interview that’s already making headlines.
Airyn’s backstory clarified.
Airyn was born in 1995 during Robert De Niro’s long-term relationship with actress and model Toukie Smith.
The twins, Airyn and Julian, were conceived via in vitro fertilization and carried by a surrogate.
Unlike some of De Niro’s other children, Airyn and Julian were largely raised away from the red carpet.
Their mother, Toukie, is a pioneering Black model and actress who broke barriers in the 1980s and ’90s.
Robert De Niro, despite his fame, maintained a fiercely protective stance over his children’s privacy.
In fact, most fans had no idea De Niro even had twin children until paparazzi photos began surfacing in recent years.
Airyn’s new look described.
The 29-year-old said she was pushed to speak out after tabloids speculated about her “new look.”
In an emotional sit-down with LGBTQ+ magazine Them, Airyn didn’t hold back.
“There’s a difference between being visible and being seen,” she said. “I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”
Airyn is the daughter of 81-year-old Robert De Niro and 72-year-old actress Toukie Smith.
She has a twin brother, Julian, and the two were kept out of the public eye for most of their upbringing.
“They wanted it very private,” Airyn shared of her parents. “They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.”
Airyn’s struggles highlighted.
Growing up, Airyn said she never quite fit in, especially during adolescence.
“When people started liking each other in middle school, I never had that,” she said.
She remembered feeling “unwanted, not desirable, not attractive like the other girls, the other boys.”
Even within the gay community, she felt excluded. “Gay men were ruthless and mean,” she admitted.
Airyn described struggling with harsh beauty standards that she never felt she met.
“Too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough,” she listed.
“It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are,’” she added.
Airyn’s transition confirmed.
Airyn began femme-presenting in middle school but didn’t start hormone therapy until November of last year.
She described herself as a “late bloomer,” a term she embraces with pride.
“Maybe it’s not too late for me,” she said, inspired by trans women thriving in the public eye.
Her transition, she said, has helped her feel more proud of her Blackness as well.
“Stepping into this new identity, while being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to Black women,” she shared.
But Airyn admitted she’s worried her family may not fully accept her as she is today.
“Will they think of me as the person I was before the transition?” she asked.
“That’s something that stays in the back of my mind,” she added.
Airyn continues to inspire.
The renewed public interest—and unsolicited commentary—on Airyn’s appearance was the final straw.
She explained that the decision to speak publicly was hers, but the invasive tabloid noise was a catalyst.
“I saw the headlines. I knew what they were hinting at. I wanted to take back the narrative,” she said.
And now she has—with courage, honesty, and a voice the world can no longer ignore.