Robert De Niro revealed that he has welcomed a seventh child at the age of 79 in a recent interview, sparking a wave of mixed reactions from the public online.
The Oscar-winning actor shared the news while promoting his new film, About My Father.
Speaking to ET Canada about the issue of parenting, the Hollywood icon casually corrected his interviewer on the number of his children.
"I know you have six kids," Brittnee Blair began, before De Niro cut her off to say, "Seven, actually. I just had a baby."
After the interview had finished, De Niro's representation confirmed to ET that the Meet the Parents star had indeed welcomed a seventh child. They did not, however, reveal the identity of the baby's mother.
However, De Niro is reported to be in a relationship with Tiffany Chen, an American martial arts instructor who starred alongside the legendary actor in the 2015 film, The Intern.
De Niro's baby update has sparked quite a reaction online, with many people taking to social media to share their opinions on the matter. One critic on Twitter called the decision to have a child at 79 "irresponsible", while another said it "seems somewhat selfish." Some even expressed concern for the child, with one person writing, "This isn't good that kid."
Not everybody was so disapproving of De Niro's major personal news, however.
"Congratulations!" one person tweeted, while another called him "legendary."
De Niro is already the father to adopted daughter Drena, 51, as well as biological son Raphael, 46, from his first marriage to American actress Diahnne Abbott. He also shares twin sons, Aaron and Julian, 27, with Toukie Smith, whom he dated between 1988 and 1996. His youngest children are Eliot De Niro, 25, and 11-year-old Helen Grace De Niro, both of whom he shares with ex-wife Grace Hightower.
Speaking about his experience of fatherhood during his ET interview, De Niro admitted that he doesn't consider himself to be a "cool dad" and that he's no stranger to having conflicts with his children.
"You know, my kids disagree with me at times, and they’re respectful," he revealed. "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."
