Robert De Niro‘s daugther Airyn De Niro has come out as trans in a powerful new interview touching on her early life, mother Toukie Smith, and embracing her Blackness as a trans woman.
The model, actress, and aspiring mental health counselor discussed her transition after enduring intense tabloid scrutiny about her personal life, which she said came as a shock to her after her parents “agreed to keep me out of the limelight” since she was born in 1995.
“They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible,” Airyn told Them. “There’s a difference between being visible and being seen. I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”
Airyn explained to the outlet that she previously came out as gay but realized she didn’t align with that community.
“[Gay men were] ruthless and mean,” Airyn said. “I didn’t even fit that beauty standard, which is thin, white, muscular, or just super fit, masculine. 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.'”
Now she’s comfortable with her identity as a Black trans woman, with the outlet catching up with her during her first appointment at a Black hair salon, where she got bright pink locks partially inspired by Halle Bailey‘s hair in Disney’s live-action Little Mermaid movie.
Airyn also noted that, after realizing she was trans, she was further inspired by “trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media” to accept that “maybe it’s not too late” for her to start living as her authentic self.
“I think a big part of [my transition] is also the influence Black women have had on me,” she continued. “I think stepping into this new identity, while also being more proud of my Blackness, makes me feel closer to them in some way.”
Airyn De Niro. Airyn De Niro/Instagram
Airyn also stressed that she wanted to carve a unique professional lane for herself, after previously being labeled a “nepo baby” despite, as she said, not relying on her parents for success.
“I wasn’t brought up having a side part in one of dad’s movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path,” Airyn said. “I would want [success] to happen on my own merit.”
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Still, she hopes to help raise the public profile for queer people of color with the platform she has.
“I want queer people of color and bigger-bodied people to have an Alex Consani. I want queer people of color and bigger-bodied people to have a Hunter Schafer,” she said. “A part of me has always wanted to model and sort of follow my mom’s footsteps. Honestly, if I could be on the cover of Vogue with her or recreating one of her pictures, that would be a dream come true.”
Airyn is one of 81-year-old De Niro’s seven children, the most recent of which is Gia, who was born in April 2023 to De Niro and his 45-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Chen.
Speaking to ET Canada at the time of Gia’s birth, the Taxi Driver star responded to a question about whether he considered himself to be a “cool dad” or not.
“I’m okay,” he replied. “You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful. My daughter, she’s 11, she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know… And my youngest now, that’ll be more to come. But that’s what it is.”
