Robert De Niro’s daughter Airyn De Niro is publicly coming out as trans — and thanking her famous parents for making it possible for her to live a life out of the public eye until now.
“Obviously no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They wanted it very private,” Airyn, 29, told Them in a profile published on Tuesday, April 29. “They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.”
Robert, 81, welcomed Airyn with actress Toukie Smith in 1995. (The legendary actor is also the father to six other children: Drea and Raphael, whom he shares with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, son Julian, whom he also shares with Smith, Elliot and Helen whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower and Gia, whom he shares with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.)
Airyn’s profile on Tuesday showcased her coming out as a trans woman, weeks after a rare public appearance with her father.
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The reaction to photos of Airyn and Robert reminded her that “people really don’t know anything about me.” She offered more insight into her upbringing during Tuesday’s Them interview.
“I always grew up a bigger-bodied person,” she recalled. “Everybody else in the family [was] relatively thin or fit; I was not, so I sort of stood out like a sore thumb and there wasn’t anybody in my family that could relate to that experience.”
Airyn has also been publicly dubbed as a “nepo baby,” something she insists that she is not.
“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,” she clarified. “I would want [success] to happen on my own merit.”
While she has auditioned for some notable roles — like Jules in Euphoria, which went to Hunter Schafer — Airyn is still working on building an acting resume.
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“There’s a difference between being visible and being seen,” Airyn said at one point during the interview. “I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”
She’s also focused on helping others who feel the same way by focusing on how to expand trans visibility.
“I wish people saw someone who is trying their hardest to heal from growing up not feeling good about themselves,” she shared in her Them interview. “[And] in the process of that, trying to make other people feel good about themselves.”
