Robert De Niro has expressed his unwavering support for his daughter, Airyn De Niro, after she came out as transgender. In a straightforward statement to Variety, De Niro emphasized his love and acceptance, stating, "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."

Airyn De Niro, who shares with actor and model Toukie Smith, publicly came out as transgender in an April 2025 interview with Them magazine. This decision followed being outed by a tabloid that published paparazzi photos of her sporting long pink hair and identifying her as a trans woman. Airyn began hormone therapy in 2024.

In her interview with Them magazine, Airyn shared her experiences of feeling like an outsider during her youth. She recounted, "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. It was never just, ‘You’re just right, just the way you are.’" Despite the challenges, Airyn noted that both Smith and De Niro were always accepting of her queerness.

Airyn also expressed some anxiety about her transition, fearing that her family might still perceive her as the person she was before. However, she credited her mother's influence for her confidence as she enters what she calls “the gender diaspora.” She fondly recalls the positive memories family members share about her mother. "Whenever I’m at a family gathering on my dad’s side, people would always talk about how much they love my mom and how memorable she was and how happy my dad was when he was with her,” Airyn said. “I want to be like that… I want to be remembered the way that people remember her.”