Robert De Niro‘s daughter just gave a big reveal … she’s transgender!
Airyn De Niro sat down for a recent interview with Them — an online LGBTQ media outlet — to tell the world she’s “stepping into this new identity.”
The 29-year-old says there’s a difference between being visible and being seen — claiming she’s always been visible but has yet to be seen.
Airyn brought up tabloid stories labeling her a “nepo baby” because she’s one of De Niro’s 7 children — she and her twin brother, Julian, are De Niro’s kids with actress Toukie Smith.
She says those articles have it all wrong … noting that her Oscar-winning dad never handed her a role in one of his films, nor did he ever bring her to movie premieres or other industry functions.
She says the legendary actor always wanted her to find her path in life and reach success on her own merit. She admits her parents aren’t perfect, but thanks them for shielding her from the limelight, so she could have a somewhat normal childhood.
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In the interview, Airyn also opened up about struggling with body dysmorphia, a mental health condition in which someone obsesses over flaws in their appearance.
She said that growing up, she was told she was “too big, not skinny enough, not Black enough, not white enough, too feminine, not masculine enough.” She adds, “It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’”
As a result, Airyn said she began hormone therapy last November, drawing inspiration from her mother and other Black women.
She hopes to inspire people like herself — Black, queer, and in bigger bodies — who don’t fit the mold of being “super thin or heroin chic.”
Moving forward … she hopes to one day become a mental health professional who treats “people of color and queer people.”
