NEWSRobert De Niro 'Loves and Supports' Daughter Airyn as She Comes Out as Trans: 'I Don't Know What the Big Deal Is'
Airyn came out as a gay man in high school but still felt she wasn't living her truth.
May 1 2025, Published 1:21 p.m. ET
Robert De Niro’s daughter Airyn came out as a trans woman in April, prompting a much-needed response from her actor father.
On Wednesday, April 30, the Irishman star was asked by a news outlet what he thought about Airyn’s transition and public acknowledgment of it. “I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter,” he said. “I don’t know what the big deal is. I love all my children.”
Airyn started taking hormone treatments in November 2024.
Airyn spoke with Them Magazine to courageously reveal her new identity, saying, “I think a big part of [my transition] is also the influence Black women have had on me. 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 described herself as a “late bloomer” but thanked trans women for motivating her to come forward with her truth. “Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success… I’m like, you know what? Maybe it’s not too late for me. Maybe I can start.”
Airyn said she was motivated to share her truth after other Black trans women showed their strength.
The 29-year-old said she started hormone therapy in November 2024. Initially, she came out as a gay man in high school. Though her family accepted her “queerness,” she detailed how she still felt unseen and misunderstood.
“I sort of stood out like a sore thumb, and there wasn’t anybody in my family that could relate to that experience,” she shared.
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Robert De Niro told 'TMZ' that he 'loves' all his children.
Airyn went on, “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.”
Having been influenced by Black trans women to share her honesty, Airyn said she’d like to use her platform as a way to help others in the same situation.
Airyn said her family has always supported her 'queerness.'
“I’d want to hopefully be an inspiration for at least one other person like me who is Black, who is queer, who’s not a size extra small. I’d want to see more trans women, more Black women who are maybe bigger-bodied or don’t fit the mold of super thin or heroin chic,” she said.
After beginning hormone treatment last year, Airyn posted on Instagram in February 2025 that she was waiting for the physical parts of her body to transition into more feminine features. “Patiently waiting for my t--- to grow in,” she captioned her selfie.
De Niro spoke with TMZ about his support for his daughter.
