The actors have been called out for continuing to have children later in life.
The pair have a friendship spanning back to the late 1960s and have remained close through the years, but they both are also some of the oldest fathers in Hollywood.
De Niro has seven children, and he welcomed the newest addition to his family in May 2023, when he was 79 with his partner Tiffany Chen.
The newest addition to the De Niro’s is Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro making her more than 50 years younger than her oldest sibling.
De Niro, known as one of the most influential actors of his generation, said about his baby girl to ABC: “Well, she’s pure joy. There’s nothing about her, there’s no judgment, there’s nothing. She just is what she is, and it’s just pure joy for God’s sake.”
The Goodfellas actor had his first child in 1971, his daughter is now 57 years old. De Niro is 81 and will be 97 when his youngest daughter turns 18.
Pacino recently passed De Niro as the oldest dad in Hollywood, he welcomed a baby boy in June 2023 with his former then-29-year-old girlfriend Noor Alfallah.
They began dating in April 2022 and announced her pregnancy weeks before Roman Pacino was born.
The Scarface actor has three adult children, and at age 83 he was one of the oldest celebrity fathers.
Pacino is now 84 and will be 101 when his baby turns 18.
In an interview with People, The Godfather actor said: “It’s just so wonderful to have children, for me, I loved it.
“It changed me for, if you want to say, the better. It changed me for life. And the idea that you’re throwing your focus on other humans who happen to be your children… there’s the love.”
Despite both actors being highly regarded in Hollywood, their fathering children at such a late stage in life has not come without criticism.
Many people have shared their distaste for them becoming new parents again, one user spoke on Pacino’s recent baby: “That’s the most selfish thing I have ever heard, the child will never really know its dad.”
Another commented on De Niro’s baby girl: “What I’m concerned about is he’s already 80 years old, she’s going to have to deal with his passing at a young age.”
Someone else added: “I’m sorry but this is wrong. He’s going to die, probably sooner than later, and she will be very young, and very traumatized for the rest of her life. It’s cruel.”
It is not only social media users who have called out both actors but also journalist Jaci Stephen, who has slammed the pair for having children at such an old age, stating that it may not be morally right.
She wrote in Daily Mail: “In contrast to the gushing celebrations from De Niro’s celeb pals, I found the whole thing rather creepy – and not a little bit sad.”
Stephen continued: “And that’s because the hard reality for geriatric dads like De Niro, and now Pacino, is that they’ll barely live long enough to be remembered by their new babies.”
She added: “It’s also rather depressing – for it shines a light on a rather uncomfortable hypocrisy when it comes to the reception of women who become mothers in older age.”
The journalist also pointed out the contradiction of Pacino, who has openly spoken about his own father being absent from his life 0 which due to his age, he will likely do to his own young child.
Men’s fertility doesn’t stop as abruptly as women’s, they can still produce the hormone testosterone and sperm cells, enabling some men to father children into their 90s as per The Conversation.
However, as men age, the risk of harmful DNA damage in their sperm seriously increases.
The National Institutes Of Health writes: “Paternal age increases the frequency of congenital diseases such as heart malformations as well as oral, palate and lip cleft.
“Moreover, mental disorders (autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, low IQ level as well as ADHD) also occur more frequently in advanced father’s age.”
There is no suggestion that De Niro or Pacino’s babies have suffered medical complications due to their age.