'Selfish': Fans Divided as Robert de Niro Welcomes Baby at 79 with His Rumored Athletic Girlfriend

• Robert De Niro sparked mixed reactions after he welcomed a baby at 79 with his rumored girlfriend.
• The actor's costar confirmed who the mother of his baby is.
• Robert's girlfriend looked heavily pregnant a month ago. Her lifestyle and job are explained.

"Taxi Driver" star Robert DE Niro is the newest dad in town. The latest addition is De Niro's seventh baby, who he shares with his girlfriend, martial arts instructor Tiffany Chen.

The star made the news public during a sitdown with ET Canada when the interviewer asked about his six children, coercing him to reveal he had welcomed a seventh.

At 79, he is still starry-eyed about being a dad, even though he admitted that it never gets easier. When asked what his love language was, he said being a loving dad to his children, even though he sometimes had to be stern with them:

"You always want to do the right thing by the children and give them the benefit of the doubt, but sometimes you can't."

De Niro's costar on "About My Father," Kim Cattrall, appreciated the milestone, praying for blessings for him and his girlfriend, whom she called "a beautiful, gorgeous, and sweet woman." She declared that she was happy for Chen and De Niro.

De Niro is a father to six more children with his first wife, Diahnne Abbott, his ex-wife Grace Hightower, and model and actress Toukie Smith.

He had his first two, Drena and Raphael, with Diahnne Abbott, then welcomed his twins Julian and Aaron with Smith in 1995. He then had his fifth and sixth, Elliot and Grace, with Hightower.

Why Are Fans Divided in Their Reactions?

Welcoming a child is a celebration-worthy event in anyone's life, as is evident from those that have expressed their joy at the actor's milestone. However, when the news broke, not everyone counted it as a celebratory moment.

The divide in fans' opinions was like day and night. While some praised the actor and congratulated him, others were not too kind and spewed criticism, calling the actor "selfish" and irresponsible."

The general concern of the critics was that, with De Niro being 79, he and his baby might not have a close relationship due to the age difference.

"That's just irresponsible at this point... he's not even gonna be alive for this kid," wrote a fan, while another pointed out that having the choice to have another child did not mean he should:

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should!"

Another disapproving fan wrote: "Why?! He's never going to fully watch this child grow up," even as a fourth one shared how disgusted she was about the development. She mused:

"But to each their own, I guess. Poor kid won't even know their father."

A fifth comment touched on the delicate yet unavoidable decade-long battle of the sexes. She observed that if a woman went down the same road and had a baby at 79 via surrogate, people would lose their minds.

Like all other negative comments, another fan thought De Niro was selfish for having a baby at his age, simply writing, "Selfish."

However, it was not all negativity. Some fans were happy for the actor, with one writing, "I thought this was a totally different type of news...Glad he is well and healthy."

Another indifferent fan simply wrote, "This guy..." accompanying her comment with a smirk emoji, while another likened the actor to his character in the 2016 film "Dirty Grandpa."

Even as fans celebrated and criticized the actor, Shawn Levy, who authored "De Niro: A Life," revealed that his jaw had dropped upon hearing the news.

And while he thought it was crazy that the actor would be 102 when his child graduated from college, Levy also complimented the "Red Lights" actor for being a wonderful dad to his children.

Levy also gave an insight into the kind of father and partner De Niro was, noting that he had always kept his kids and ex-partners close.

Who Is the Mother of Robert De Niro's Child?

Chan and De Niro's relationship remained unconfirmed for a long time, with many publications referring to Chan as "De Niro's rumored girlfriend." But now that they have a child, the relationship is confirmed, and the rumors can rest.

Despite the news of their baby shocking many -- both celebrities and fans -- De Niro did not necessarily keep his girlfriend's pregnancy and their journey a secret.

About a month ago, he was spotted leaving the popular Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Los Angeles with his girlfriend. As they walked to their car with the cameras flashing in their faces, one could easily discern that his girlfriend looked pregnant.

And now that she is a mom, this begs the question of who Chen is, what she does, and how she and De Niro became an item.

Neither De Niro nor Chen has spoken about their relationship, but according to The Mirror, they have been together since at least 2021. The pairing came after De Niro's 2018 split from his wife of 20 years, Grace Hightower.

Chen and "The Irishman" star reportedly met on the set of "The Intern," where Chen played the role of a martial arts instructor. Fans relished the funny moments as Chen tried teaching some moves to De Niro and Anne Hathaway, unaware that a relationship was slowly growing behind the scenes.

According to her bio, Chen is also a certified international judge and referee by the International Tai Chai Chuan Federation Taipei, in Taiwan. She is also accomplished and has won numerous accolades in world-recognized competitions in various counties such as France, America, and Vietnam.

Her martial arts journey started as a preschooler, taking up swimming and gymnastics by age 5. She did not stop there and added to her accomplishments by learning the double knife and praying mantis practices from her uncle Howard Lee.

She started figure skating by the time she was eight, and at 11, she won her first competition bagging three gold medals in figure skating competitions.

She began practicing Push Hands, entering her first competition at 16. In total, Chen has won 42 Gold, four Silver, and two Bronze medals, both locally and internationally. And now, she has added another accomplishment to her list -- becoming a mom.