Robert De Niro might have surprised fans with the news that he had recently become a father of seven, but the 79-year-old Oscar winner says the arrival of his new baby was not unexpected at all. At the New York City premiere of his new film About My Father, De Niro told Page Six that “no,” he was not shocked by the latest addition to his family, and that the pregnancy was a “planned” one.
“How you could not plan that kind of thing?” he told the publication Tuesday. The day prior, De Niro confirmed he had welcomed a new child to ET Canada, correcting a reporter who asked about his six kids by answering, “Seven, actually. I just had a baby.” While the Taxi Driver star didn’t share any further details about the birth of his youngest, the mother appears to be his girlfriend, Tiffany Chen. De Niro later opened up about becoming a dad again to Extra, saying, “I’m OK with it. I’m good with it,” and noting that fatherhood “never gets easier.” He then added to Entertainment Tonight that life with his little one has been “great” so far.
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De Niro first became a dad in 1976, welcoming his son Raphael, now 46, with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott. The actor also adopted Abbott’s daughter, Drena, who is now 51. The Casino star and his ex, Toukie Smith, would go on to welcome twins Julian and Aaron, now 27, in 1988, and De Niro also shares son Elliot, 25, and daughter Helen, 11, with ex-wife Grace Hightower. The Irishman star is also a grandfather to Drena’s 19-year-old son Leo, who was born in 2005, and Raphael’s children, Ella and Alexandria, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Claudine DeMatos.
De Niro told ET Canadaย Monday when asked if he’s a “cool” dad that he’s “OK,” adding, “You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful. My daughter, she’s 11, she gives me grief sometimes and I argue with her. I adore her, but, you know. And my youngest now, that’ll be more to come. But, that’s what it is.”
