Robert De Niro is confused about the fuss over a child coming out as transgender

Robert De Niro is not losing sleep over his daughter Airyn‘s transition!

The famous actor is showing his full support for Airyn after she expressed her frustration with media outlets for exposing her without permission and referring to her as a “nepo baby.”

Airyn De Niro, one of Robert De Niro’s seven kids, was born alongside her twin brother Julian during his relationship with actress Toukie Smith. 

In a new interview, Airyn shared her experience navigating identity and family life as one of her famous father’s seven children.

Airyn explained, “There’s a difference between being visible and being seen. I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet,” reflecting on the challenges of living in the public eye without feeling truly understood.

De Niro, the award-winning actor, affirmed that his love for Airyn remains unwavering. “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,” De Niro shared with Variety.

Airyn also shared what gave her the courage to speak up. Seeing successful, outspoken trans women like actress Laverne Cox helped her feel less alone. In her words:

“Trans women being honest and open, especially in public spaces like social media. I’m like, ‘You know what? Maybe it’s not too late for me.'”

After publicly sharing her story, Airyn is feeling the love and keeping it real. While discussing with Them, the daughter of the Hollywood icon reflected on her upbringing and her parents’ decision to shield her from the spotlight. 

“No parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible,” she noted. 

Following the release of the interview, Airyn took to Instagram in a since -expired story to thank people for the outpouring of support. “Thank you to everyone who’s been so sweet and supportive! I’m not used to all these eyes on me,” she wrote. 

She also addressed queries from fans about talent agencies, adding, “For the folks asking if I have representation or signed to anyone, I am literally just a girl with a phone, so sorry if I miss your messages!”

The 29-year-old did not hold back as she opened up about how the public first learned of her transition. She recalled that paparazzi exposed her journey after she was spotted visiting her father at the Greenwich Hotel without her consent or input.

Airyn specifically called out The Daily Mail for using what she felt were harmful and careless words. The outlet ran a headline describing her as “Robert De Niro’s nepo baby son” while highlighting her appearance with “heels and pink hair.”

Airyn said none of the publications reached out to her before running their stories. “Not only did they get information wrong about me… They just sort of reminded me that people really don’t know anything about me,” she explained. 

Airyn made it clear she did not ride her father’s fame to get ahead and did not appreciate being labeled a “nepo baby.” Despite being the daughter of Hollywood legend Robert De Niro, she explained that industry connections or family perks did not cushion her path into voice acting and modeling.

She pointed out that she never had small roles in her father’s films, nor did she tag along to industry events or meetings. Instead, she described growing up out of the spotlight and working for every opportunity. Airyn emphasized:

“My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path. I would want [success] to happen on my own merit.” 

The budding star also opened up about how being trans added another layer of difficulty. She revealed that she was often ghosted or turned away by casting directors, especially since she refused to name-drop her dad to get ahead.