When news broke of Robert de Niro becoming a dad again at 79, many wondered what kind of dad he’d be. Would he be the same, like he was with his other kids? Would he take things slower or faster? Many were appalled back in Oct 2023 when he said he didn’t do the heavy lifting when it came to parenting his and Tiffeny Chen’s newborn daughter Gia. But fast forward to Jan 2024, and his latest comments are virtually the complete opposite.
When talking to AARP for their February/March 2024 issue, he talked about what fatherhood has been like in his eighties. “It feels great,” he said. “Everything that I’m consumed with or worried about just goes away when I look at her. It’s wondrous.”
De Niro added, getting teary-eyed: “When she gets older — who knows? But that very sweet way she has of looking at you, taking you in, thinking and watching and observing … “
Now, this was the exact opposite of the comments he made back in Oct 2023. “I mean, I don’t do the heavy lifting. I’m there, I support my girlfriend. But she does the work. And we have help, which is so important.”
Back then, his comments caused quite a bit of controversy, with many thinking he seemed rather standoffish when it came to parenting again. However, his new, teary-eyed comments may be telling a different story, and show that he may be loving being a new dad again at 80.
De Niro has seven children in total. He welcomed his first son in 1976, named Raphael, with his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott. He also adopted Abbott’s daughter Drena De Niro, who was born in 1967. Later, he welcomed twin sons named Julian and Aaron in 1995 with his ex Toukie Smith, and then welcomed another child with ex-wife Grace Hightower: a son named Elliot, born in 1998, and later a daughter named Helen in 2011. Then, he and his girlfriend Chen welcomed a child named Gia, born in April 2023.
Before you go, check out these celebrities kids who have big age gaps.
Leave a Comment