In a Williamsburg café, where the hum of espresso machines mixes with the clatter of mugs, Airyn De Niro sits down to tell her story. At 29, the daughter of Hollywood titan Robert De Niro and actress Toukie Smith is done letting tabloids define her. On April 29, she opened up in a raw, first-ever interview with Them magazine, revealing she’s a transgender woman—a journey sparked by personal courage and a push to reclaim her narrative after a paparazzi photo blew up her privacy.
Airyn’s path hasn’t been easy. Born Aaron Kendrick De Niro on October 20, 1995, alongside her twin brother Julian, she grew up shielded from the glare of her father’s fame. Her parents, who split a year before her birth, kept her and her sibling out of Hollywood’s orbit, prioritizing a normal childhood over red carpets or cameo roles. “They wanted it private,” Airyn said, her voice carrying the weight of gratitude for that choice. But normal didn’t mean simple. As a bigger-bodied kid in a family of leaner relatives, she felt like an outsider, wrestling with a sense of not fitting in. High school brought more struggles—she came out as gay, only to face bullying from peers who mocked her for being “too feminine” or “not Black enough, not white enough.”
The turning point came in November 2024, when Airyn began hormone therapy. She calls herself a “late bloomer,” inspired by Black trans women like Laverne Cox and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, whose openness on social media showed her it wasn’t too late to live authentically. A visit to a Black hair salon, prompted by Halle Bailey’s locs in Disney’s 2023 The Little Mermaid, marked a pivotal moment. There, amid the rhythm of wash, comb, retwist, she caught her reflection with fresh pink locs and felt a surge of self-acceptance. “It just felt right,” she said.
But the world didn’t wait for her to share her truth. On March 19, paparazzi snapped her visiting her father at New York’s Greenwich Hotel. Tabloids pounced, splashing headlines about a “shock transformation” and misgendering her as Robert De Niro’s “nepo baby son.” The Daily Mail’s March 19 story stung hardest, tossing out lazy labels and wrong details. Airyn, who only learned of the article a week later, decided enough was enough. “People don’t know anything about me,” she told Them, her words sharp with resolve.
Now, she’s carving her own path. An aspiring actress and model, Airyn’s chasing roles—auditioning for parts like Jules in Euphoria, though she didn’t land it—and studying to become a mental health counselor. Her mission is clear: to lift up queer people of color and bigger-bodied folks who don’t fit Hollywood’s narrow mold. “I’d want to inspire at least one other person like me who is Black, who is queer, who’s not a size extra small,” she said. Her mother, Toukie Smith, a former model for Chanel and Versace, looms large as her role model. At family gatherings, Airyn hears stories of her mom’s vibrant spirit and how she lit up her father’s life during their nearly decade-long relationship. “I want to be remembered like that,” she said.
Airyn’s not naive about the challenges ahead. She’s stepping into the public eye at a time when trans rights face mounting attacks, from executive orders to restrictive laws. Yet she’s undeterred, driven by a need to be seen—not just visible. “I’ve been visible,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”
Robert De Niro, 81, has seven children: Drena, 57, and Raphael, 48, with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott; Elliot, 27, and Helen, 12, with ex-wife Grace Hightower; Gia, 2, with girlfriend Tiffany Chen; and Airyn and Julian with Toukie Smith. Airyn began hormone therapy in November 2024. She’s currently based in New York, pursuing acting, modeling, and her counseling studies.