Airyn De Niro, 29-year-old daughter of famed actor Robert De Niro, has publicly shared her experience of coming out as a transgender Black woman.
In a recent interview with Them magazine, Airyn, who has largely stayed out of the public eye, opened up about her identity and her family’s reaction.
Unlike some children of Hollywood stars, Airyn said she wasn’t involved in her father’s movie sets or premieres, explaining that her parents encouraged her and her twin brother, Julian Henry De Niro, to find their own paths.
She expressed a desire for any success she achieves to be based on her own merits.
Airyn revealed that her family was supportive when she came out as gay in high school. Growing up, she felt different from her “relatively thin” siblings, feeling like a “bigger-bodied person.”
She also recalled feeling pressure to fit into certain boxes, being told she was “too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough.”
She expressed gratitude that her parents chose to keep her childhood private, wanting her to have as normal an upbringing as possible.
Despite being the daughter of a well-known actor, Airyn doesn’t feel she fits the “nepo baby” label, stating that even when she has been seen as De Niro’s daughter, she hasn’t felt truly seen as her full self.
Airyn, who was born Aaron, began hormone therapy in November 2024. She is Robert De Niro’s daughter with actress Toukie Smith.
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