Robert De Niro Praises Daughter Airyn After She Comes Out as Transgender: Meet His Kids
Ranging from age 55 to 2, the ‘Taxi Driver’ actor clearly loves being a dad
Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, 29, recently came out as transgender in a digital issue of Them.
“It just felt right,” she said as part of the April 29 interview. “I feel like I’m meant to be doing this.”
“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 continued. “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.”
Following the announcement, Robert, 81, praised his daughter, telling People in a statement, “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. I love all my children.”
Currently, the Taxi Driver actor has seven children, including Airyn, and we look into each of them below!
Drena De Niro, age 54
Robert’s first child, Drena De Niro, was born in September 1971. Following the actor’s marriage to Drena’s mother, Diahnne Abbott, the actor adopted her in 1976.
Along with being Robert’s first child, Drena also gave him his first grandchild back in 2003, after welcoming her son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez into the world with her ex-boyfriend Carlos Rodriguez.
“Kids really put everything in perspective. Suddenly, certain things that one would consider so important are not important at all,” Drena said, per People. “Life definitely changes, but it’s a great change.”
Leandro tragically died in July 2023 from a drug overdose. He was Drena’s only child.
Raphael De Niro, age 48
Robert and Diahnne’s second child, Raphael De Niro, was born in November 1976. He currently works as a broker in Manhattan, New York, and was married to Claudine De Matos from 2008 until January 2020. During that time they welcomed three children together; however, their names have yet to be shared with the public.
Following his divorce, Raphael married a stylist named Hannah Carnes in March 2020. They currently live together in New York City.
Julian and Airyn De Niro, age 29
After divorcing Diahnne in 1988, Robert began dating Toukie Smith. They remained together for quite a while and even welcomed a set of twins together—Julian and Airyn—together in October 1995.
“My children are all half Black. I take certain things for granted,” Robert said on The Night Show in 2020 of both his twins and his two older children. “When people say that they tell their kids, ‘Keep your hands [out] when you’re stopped by any cops, keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t make a sudden move, don’t put your hands below, don’t do this,’ you understand that.”
Neither Julian nor Airyn are married or have children.
Elliot De Niro, age 27
Born in March 1998, Elliot is the son of Robert and his ex-wife, Grace Hightower. He has autism, which the actor revealed in March 2016.
“Grace and I have a child with autism, and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined,” Robert said in 2016. “I don’t like to get emotional. But I know exactly what he goes through.”
Elliot reportedly loves tennis and was even in the Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers in 2018.
“[Playing tennis] helps him,” Robert said in the 2016 film Vaxxed, which the actor has since distanced himself from.“He is more confident when he sees that he is actually good at this. That’s the best self-motivator anyone can have.”
He is not married and does not have children.
Helen Grace De Niro, age 13
In December 2011, Robert and Grace welcomed a baby girl named Helen via surrogate. They have mostly kept her out of the spotlight, and following their split in 2018, they have continued to co-parent her.
Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, age 2
Robert and his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, welcomed the actor’s seventh child, Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro, in April 2023.
“[She is] half-Chinese. I want to try to teach her Chinese and show her nursery rhymes in English and Chinese,” Robert told Rolling Stone in December 2023. “I’m trying to have her learn both.”
Robert and Chen are still together as of publication, despite their 35-year age difference.
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