Who is Airyn De Niro? Birth name and all we know as Robert De Niro’s daughter comes out as a trans woman

Robert De Niro’s daughter, Airyn De Niro, has recently come out as transgender. She made the revelation during an interview with Them, published on April 29, 2025.

Airyn is the daughter of the Goodfellas actor and his ex-girlfriend and actress, Toukie Smith. Born on October 20, 1995, she is 29 years old. She is one of De Niro’s seven children, and has a twin brother named Julian, according to a report in Style magazine.

Born as Aaron Kendrick, Airyn, who is an aspiring actress and model, has stayed away from the public eye for most of her life until she decided to open up about her identity. While speaking to Them, she said:

“There’s a difference between being visible and being seen. I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”

She is currently studying to be a mental health counselor, having been called a “nepo baby” in the past.

Let us uncover more details about Airyn De Niro's interview with Them as she shares her journey.

All we know about Airyn De Niro’s transformation journey

When Airyn De Niro was asked by Them how she felt about the outlets labelling her as the “nepo baby” of Robert De Niro, she replied:

“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... I would want [success] to happen on my own merit.”

Airyn and her other siblings have been kept largely out of the limelight by their parents, Robert De Niro and Toukie Smith. She told the outlet:

“Obviously, no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight," she said of Robert and Smith. "They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.”

Airyn revealed that her family accepted her queerness when she came out as a gay man in high school. She started hormone therapy in November 2024 and described herself as a “late bloomer,” according to a report in Page Six.

She added:

"I think part of me is concerned that [my family] will maybe still think of me as the person I was before the transition.”

Airyn credited her mother and the other Black women, such as Laverne Cox, Raven-Symone, and Halle Bailey, as major inspirations for her decision to start her gender transition journey. Speaking to the outlet, she said:

“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.”

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The 81-year-old actor welcomed Airyn (then Aaron) and her twin Julian, with his then-girlfriend Smith, 72, in 1995. They were reportedly born a year before their separation through surrogacy.

According to a report in E! News, the Oscar winner shares children – Drena, 57 and Raphael, 48 with ex Diahnne Abbott, a son named Elliot, 27 and daughter Helen, 12 — with ex Grace Hightower, and Gia, 2, with his current girlfriend, Tiffany Chen.

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