Entertainment
De Niro’s girlfriend calls his ex-assistant ‘crazy’ and ‘psychotic’ in court
By Jake Beardslee · November 3, 2023
In brief…
- De Niro's girlfriend, Tiffany Chen, testified that his former assistant allegedly viewed herself as the actor's wife and was overly focused on him.
- Rising tensions led Chen to reportedly tell De Niro to terminate the assistant or she would depart.
- De Niro and the former assistant are involved in legal disputes, with lawsuits filed against each other.
Robert De Niro’s girlfriend Tiffany Chen testified in court on Thursday that she believes the actor’s former assistant Graham Chase Robinson irrationally viewed herself as De Niro’s wife. Chen described Robinson as “crazy,” “psychotic,” and “nuts,” suggesting Robinson had an unhealthy “imaginary intimacy” with the actor.
Robert De Niro’s high-profile trial against his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson is underway, with De Niro taking the witness stand to defend himself against Robinson’s $12 million gender discrimination lawsuit stemming from her tenure working for the actor from 2008-2019. Robinson alleges De Niro subjected her to inappropriate comments and tasks, providing evidence like vulgar voicemails and texts, while De Niro denies the claims. The trial follows Canal Productions’ 2019 lawsuit against Robinson for alleged misuse of company funds. If found liable, De Niro faces up to $12 million in damages to his former assistant.
Chen claimed Robinson was obsessed with De Niro and prone to erratic mood swings, depicting her as a “Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde” type. Tensions escalated to the point that Chen sent De Niro an ultimatum to fire Robinson or she would leave.
Robinson denied desiring to be De Niro’s wife. She began working for De Niro in 2008, earning $300,000 annually when she resigned in 2019 due to suspicions about her work ethic, according to De Niro’s team.