Tiffany Chen slammed for calling Robert De Niro's ex assistant Graham Chase Robinson a 'psychotic single White female'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Robert De Niro's girlfriend Tiffany Chen recently came under fire for comparing the actor's ex-assistant Graham Chase Robinson to the lead character of the 1992 film 'Single White Female' during her testimony at the ongoing discrimination trial.
Robinson sued De Niro for alleged gender discrimination during the time she worked at his company Canal Productions between 2008 and 2019, the Daily Mail reported. She reportedly filed the $12 million lawsuit nearly four years ago, shortly after De Niro sued her for misuse of the company's accounts.
Chen, who has been with De Niro since 2021, took the stand in the ongoing trial and accused Robinson of having an "imaginary intimacy" with De Niro.
What did Tiffany Chen say about Graham Chase Robinson?
Chen's testimony at De Niro's gender discrimination trial came after a string of email and text exchanges between her, Robinson and De Niro were shown to the jury.
During the trial, Chen was reportedly questioned about whether she had forced De Niro to fire Robinson in 2018, the year before she resigned. One of the text exchanges showed Chen telling De Niro, "I'm not going to be happy until you tell me she's looking for a replacement. Keeping her around is just a slap in my face."
When asked if she wrote the texts, Chen replied in court, "Yeah, I wrote it."
As per the Daily Mail, the court learned that Robinson's relationship with De Niro and Chen deteriorated after they moved into a new townhouse in 2018, the same year the actor separated from his ex-wife Grace Hightower.
Chen hinted that Robinson showed a lack of respect towards the pair's plans, which reflected in a 2019 text from Chen to De Niro which read, "Her possessive manner over the house makes me very uncomfortable."
"Her sense of entitlement stems from this imagined intimacy she has with you. She thinks she's your wife and decided to be the lady of the house," the text mentioned.
Robert De Niro's girlfriend Tiffany Chen tells court that his assistant was a 'psychotic single white female' who had an 'imaginary intimacy' with the legendary actor
— News News News (@NewsNew97351204) November 2, 2023
Another text from Chen sent in March 2019 mentioned that she had "had it with Chase's bullsh*t," the publication noted. When asked if Robinson believed she was in a relationship with De Niro, Chen said, "I think she knows she's not but that's what makes her angry because she's striving to be."
"She definitely thinks she's in charge of everyone," Chen added. Further texts from the latter showed that she gave an ultimatum to De Niro over firing Robinson.
"If you keep her you and I will eventually have problems because you have allowed her to become disrespectful to you and now she’s telling you what she will do and what her job is," Chen warned.
She also allegedly texted Michael Kaplan, another Canal Productions employee who testified at the trial, and claimed that Robinson snuck into her bedroom and unplugged her electronics.
"The whole situation has become very 'Single White Female,'" Chen wrote in reference to the 1992 film, comparing it to the situation involving Robinson.
Chen explained the thoughts behind the text during her testimony, saying that she described a character who "obsessive, crazy and dangerous" and likened it to Robinson's alleged behavior.
She said Robinson had a personality like "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hide," who would turn back on De Niro and "confuse the situation." Chen alleged that she felt Robinson's behavior towards the couple was odd because she dreamed of being with the Oscar winner.
"I believed she lived her whole life as a fantasy," Chen said about Robinson. "If her fantasies are going to infringe on my personal life… I’m going to make it difficult for her," she added.
"She was attached to the control she thought she had in this dynamic," Chen alleged. She was also questioned over a row involving catering on a private jet in early 2019 when she returned from a holiday with De Niro in Antigua.
Chen reportedly learnt that Robinson had allegedly asked flight attendants not to serve food on the flight, the former texted De Niro, "I'm concerned that her nasty alter ego will cause serious future problems if she isn’t called out now."
"She’s a mean, insecure, territorial girl and her behaviour hasn’t just affected me, she does it to everyone in your life in different ways," Chen said about Robinson.
Internet calls out Tiffany Chen over 'Single White Female' comment
Chen's comments on Robinson, especially comparing her to 1992's 'Single White Female,' left several internet users disappointed. Many took to social media to slam Chen over her remarks.
"And what’s skin colour got to do with anything. Nasty racist boot," one said. "No racism there, eh?" another mocked.
"Now had she been white and said single black female," one mentioned. "Imaginary intimacy???" a fourth questioned.
"Is the 'white' bit important ? Im sure theres a name for people that see life through the prism of race," one said on Facebook.
And what’s skin colour got to do with anything. Nasty racist boot.
— JazzyGaz54 (@JazzIsHere54) November 3, 2023
Robinson reportedly began working as De Niro's assistant in 2008 and rose to the position of vice-president of Canal Productions, as per the Daily Mail
In her lawsuit, Robinson alleged that De Niro treated her like an "office wife" and demeaned her with menial tasks such as scratching his back and washing his sheets.
She also accused the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' actor of not paying her as much as a male employee who she felt had similar responsibilities.
De Niro testified on Tuesday, October 31 and explained that Robinson asked to be paid as much as his longtime trainer, prompting him to refuse the request because the trainer had "traveled with me for 40 years, left his family to be with me for long periods of time."
"She's jealous of him," the actor claimed. As part of his lawsuit, De Niro accused Robinson of improper spending and claimed that she transferred over $450,000 worth of airline miles from the company to her own personal account.
The film icon also accused her of spending tens of thousands more on personal items, food and travel and passing her days binge watching Netflix. The results of both De Niro and Robinson's lawsuits will reportedly be decided in the same trial, which is expected to last two weeks.