TV presenter urges Robert De Niro to get a vasectomy after welcoming his seventh child age 79
Rashi Agarwal
Featured Image Credit: SOPA Images Limited / Geisler-Fotopress GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
An TV presenter has criticised Robert De Niro for having his seventh child at the age of 79 and urged him to get a vasectomy.
De Niro surprised the world when he announced that he'd welcomed his second child in an interview with ET Canada.
When the interviewer mentioned that he had six children, De Niro corrected her, saying: "Seven actually.
"I just had a baby."
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His two children from his first marriage to Diahnne Abbott are daughter Drena and son Raphael.
He has also two sons, Julian and Aaron, with ex Toukie Smith through a surrogate, and a son named Elliot and a daughter named Helen from his marriage to Grace Hightower, also born via a surrogate.
And recently, Channel Nine host Shelly Horton, has urged the film star to rethink about becoming a parent again.
She said: "Oh Godfather. Robert De Niro has become a father for the seventh time at the ripe old age of 79.
"I have an idea for a Father's Day present – a vasectomy."
Horton then went on to say that it is 'irresponsible to have children at that age'.
"Especially when you consider the child will undoubtedly grow up without a father for most of their life." she said. "While some may argue women shouldn't have to sacrifice their desire to have children because their partner is older, they need to think about the long-term consequences of that decision."
She also said that older parents can struggle to provide the care and attention that young children require because of their health as they age, and that it was incredibly hard for the 'single mothers who raise children alone'.
She added that while the 79-year-old can provide for the child financially, having money 'doesn't replace the emotional support and guidance a father or father figure can provide'.
Recalling De Niro's previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2016, Horton said that the actor must have 'forgotten' that he'd said it 'isn't responsible, at my age, to have more children'.
"I'm going to be 70 years old, and they'll be dealing with the things that people deal with at that age." he added.
Tyla has reached out to De Niro's reps for comment.
The actor has also previously said that it was 'scary' raising biracial children in the US.
Back in 2020, he told Jimmy Fallon that there's some things even he 'takes for granted'.
"When people say that they tell their kids: ‘Keep your hands when you’re stopped by anybody or cops, keep your hands on the steering wheel, don’t make a sudden move, don’t put your hands below, don’t do this,’ you understand that." he said.
"That's scary. That has to change."