Robert Irwin's Stunning Transformation

If you grew up in the 1990s or the early 2000s, chances are, you have a lot of affection for Robert Irwin. After all, he's the son of Steve Irwin, charismatic star of "The Crocodile Hunter," the hit Animal Planet show that brought the weird, wonderful, wild creatures of the Aussie outback to audiences worldwide. In 2006, millennials everywhere were devastated by Steve's shocking death, the veteran animal handler having been caught off guard by the wrong end of a stingray's stinger.

Robert had to deal with his father's loss in the spotlight, and questions about that formative event follow him as he's grown up and stepped into quite the spotlight of his own. The whole Irwin family has been involved in continuing Steve's legacy — they use their celebrity for good, devoting their lives to animals and The Australia Zoo — but Robert in particular has stepped to the forefront as a charismatic entertainer in his own right. That's right: Steve Irwin's son Robert is exactly like him. His transformation has been stunning; from those first few scandal-filled headlines to his recent run on reality television, from his time as a child author to his time as a full-fledged, grown-up thirst-trapper, Robert keeps revealing new facets of his personality to his fans. Read on for a look back at his major milestones.

Robert Irwin was born in December 2003, and less than a month later he was a world-famous baby. His father, Steve Irwin, wrapped a hand around his infant son and brought him into a crocodile enclosure, tossing hunks of meat to the scaly predators. The incident was little more than a year after Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket Jackson over a hotel balcony, sparking worldwide outrage. "I was in complete control of the crocodile. Robert was tucked right in my arm," Steve insisted to The Herald Sun (via Deseret News). While some might expect the baby's mother to be upset with her husband, Steve's wife, Terri Irwin, was perfectly fine with what happened, too. She told the newspaper, "It was a wonderful sensory experience for [Robert]. He dug it."

The networks that aired the shocking footage faced dozens of complaints from outraged viewers who'd been afraid they were about to watch the death of the Irwin baby. Judy Spence, the Families Minister for Queensland, told the paper that she too was upset by what she'd seen. "While I have no doubt the Irwins love their children very much," she said, "I believe it was an error of judgement to place a baby in a potentially dangerous situation."

Ultimately, Steve apologized to people who were upset by what he'd done. He explained to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "I would be considered a bad parent if I didn't teach my children to be crocodile savvy."

In September 2006, the world was shocked to learn that Steve Irwin had died. He'd been filming with a stingray, and its spine pierced his heart. The man had become known for wrestling with all sorts of formidable predators, but this simple accident was all it took. "I feel like a part of Australia has died," a commenter wrote on an obituary (via The Guardian).

Robert Irwin was still a toddler when he lost his father, but the world watched while he mourned the Crocodile Hunter with mom Terri Irwin and older sister Bindi Irwin. Years later, he told The Guardian that he'd learned some important life lessons from his dad in the short time they had together. "Dad was very passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless, and he would always say, treat everyone how you want to be treated and you'll have a really happy life," Robert recalled. "That is the most important thing, even if someone's bugging you. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect."

As Robert has grown up in the public eye, he's met many, many fans who felt connected to Steve. That might be painful, but he actually enjoys the reminders of who his father was. "There isn't a day goes by where someone isn't sharing how dad inspired them. It means everything to me," he said on an episode of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2025 (via People), "because every year I live, I actually feel closer to my dad."

The croc-feeding incident that got Steve Irwin in trouble was billed as "Bob's Croc Feeding Debut," but it's completely understandable that Robert wanted a do-over as he got older. By the time the boy was 8, he'd been volunteering at The Australia Zoo quite a bit, already having inherited his family's love of reptiles.

In 2012, now going by Robert instead of Bob, the tiny tot invited the media to watch him feed a pack of hungry crocodiles himself, no father figure necessary. Sporting an adorable blond bowl cut, the Aussie told View News, "It was really, really fun. This is my first time in public, and it's absolutely awesome." He confessed that it can sometimes be scary to watch the crocs waddle right up to you, but for the most part, he insisted that he wasn't frightened at all.

Robert's mom, Terri Irwin, was by his side, and she told the outlet that her son was growing up well. "I'm so proud of Robert," she said. "He's growing up to be a chip off the old block."

Plenty of kids are obsessed with dinosaurs, and it seems that The Crocodile Hunter's son was no different. In 2013, young Robert Irwin became an author. He co-wrote a series of books about a time-traveling paleontologist called "Robert Irwin: Dinosaur Hunter." The title, of course, played on the name of his father's television show, but this time Steve Irwin's son was the main character.

"Kids can learn about more unusual dinosaurs as they travel back in time with me and my friend Riley to discover incredible prehistoric creatures," Robert told Penguin Random House Australia, who collaborated with The Australia Zoo to publish the books. "I think reading opens up a whole new world where you can discover and learn new things."

David Harding, who wrote the series with Robert, shared on his website that he was particularly thrilled by the challenge of making the books educational. "I have always loved that these books are rooted in science and don't dumb it all down for kids," Harding explained, "and I found researching these creatures so much fun!"

Steve Irwin wasn't just a guy who liked to wrestle crocodiles. In addition to being a conservationist and zookeeper, he was also a filmmaker, intimately involved in the process of capturing his wildlife adventures on film.

As Robert Irwin grew up and began to explore ways he could make his own mark, he developed a love of wildlife photography. When he was twelve, Robert snapped a photo of a crocodile that brought him significant critical attention. He was named one of Australian Geographic's Nature Photographers of the Year, receiving a Junior Award for his picture, which showed a croc grinning at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. "The saltwater crocodile is a modern-day dinosaur that is an integral part of the precious ecosystem," Robert explained as he accepted the award (via Adelaide Now) on the 10th anniversary of his father's death. "I had the privilege to photograph the awe-inspiring predator in its natural habitat. An amazing experience!"

Robert's love of wildlife photography has followed him into adulthood. In 2022, he told ABC News that he looked at his photography like advocacy, as some of his snapshots have captured the direct impact of climate change. He won an award for a photo of koalas who'd been killed by a catastrophic Australian wildfire. "When you can get an image like that from the front line and say, hey guys, listen, this is what we're fighting for," he mused, "If I can use photography, my passion, my artistic mind, to forge ahead my mission, then I'm doing my job."

Robert Irwin grew up going to The Australia Zoo, which his parents had developed since long before he was born. By the time he was a teenager, Robert was intimately involved in the running of the organization as well as their spinoff charity, Wildlife Warriors. 

In 2017, Robert took on his father's job of helping spread The Australia Zoo's message far and wide. That year, he began making regular wildlife-handler appearances on "The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon." Bringing exotic creatures to late-night talk shows had helped Steve Irwin get famous internationally, bringing Australian wildlife to wider international recognition, and Robert viewed his appearances on American television as a similar opportunity. He told ABC News in 2022 that he was particularly tickled by one incident where famously short comedian Kevin Hart was terrified of the creatures he brought to the show. "Getting to introduce people to these animals who are pretty fearful, it's funny, but it's also pretty special, you know?" Robert said. "He came around to it after a while."

"Crocodile Hunter" fans the world over have been fascinated by the stunning transformation of Bindi Irwin, Steve's daughter and Robert's older sister. Like Robert, she's come into her own as a media personality, carrying on their father's legacy by using any opportunity to redirect interest in her personal life toward the animals they've all sworn to protect. To that end, the whole family signed up for another Animal Planet reality show in 2018, this time called "Crikey! It's The Irwins."

Production on the series, which ran from 2018 to 2022, was a true family affair. "There's members of the crew here that I've known as long as I've been alive and I love them like my family," Robert told The Television Academy. "It's like hanging out with my mates."

He was particularly proud of Season 3, which chronicled their attempts to reopen The Australia Zoo after the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to close for the first time in 50 years. "Looking back at it now I'm so happy that we caught all that on camera and I'm so happy that we can share that with people," Robert mused. "Because we aren't the only ones going through it."

In addition to the difficult closure of The Australia Zoo, the pandemic years marked another milestone in Robert Irwin's life: he turned 18. "I feel like even at this young age I already have a platform," he reflected to The Television Academy, considering a life in the spotlight. "I have a voice and I have an ability to reach a lot of people. I feel like that is such an important responsibility."

Part of that platform was his viral fame on TikTok, where he's amassed 9.3 million followers at press time. As a member of Gen Z, Irwin turned out to be a natural at creating engaging short-form video content that traded not just on the adorable animals he encountered on a daily basis, but on his own good looks as a handsome young man. "Keep up to date with my latest adventures," his bio says simply, inviting fans not just into his animal conservation work but behind the scenes of his life as a bona fide media personality.

His most popular video , which was posted in 2023, features him getting down on the ground with a quokka, the famously-adorable Australian marsupials who always seem like they're smiling in selfies. "Isn't this amazing?" Irwin giggled in the TikTok as his quokka friend licked his nose. In the comments, a fan wrote, "the quokka is like 'I'm cute?? have you seen yourself good sir?'"

Back in 2002, the British reality show "I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!" stranded a bunch of minor celebs in the Australian jungle, forcing them to compete in "Survivor"-style challenges for food. Audiences at home were invited to laugh at these famous people trying to live off the land, forced to confront the comfort of their lives. The format has since been exported around the world, including in Australia proper; their version maroons people in Africa.

In 2024, beginning with the Aussie version's 10th season, Robert Irwin signed on as the show's new co-host opposite Julia Morris. He told Man Of Many that he viewed the gig as just another opportunity to carry on his family's legacy, taking any chance he could get to promote conservation. "It's why I do all the random side quests: so I can use my platform and my work as an environmental advocate to speak for the animals that can't," he said.

Plus, it's just plain fun. "Sometimes we had to pause filming because a hippo was coming onto set, or baboons were coming in to steal our food," he revealed. "I know a lot of people wonder how real it is, but it's real."

Robert Irwin TikTok comments don't mince words about his good looks, and in 2025, he dove headfirst into the idea that he might be growing up to be a certified sex symbol. He was hired as a model for Bonds, an Australian underwear brand, and he starred in an ad campaign that stripped him down to his skivvies before covering him back up with (what else?) some wildlife. In one commercial, for example, Irwin sits in a lawn chair sipping water while a python curls around his neck and a tarantula crawls tastefully on his high. "How is it Australians are so laid-back?" a voiceover asks. "It's simple: they're all wearing comfy undies."

Irwin told People that he signed on because showing so much skin made him a little nervous, which was exciting. "I'm at this point in my life where I'm trying to do as many different and random exciting things, and if it's something that makes me a little bit nervous, that I've never done before and it's a bit of an adrenaline rush? That's what I want to be doing," he said.

Still, though he couldn't have anticipated just how rabid the racy shoot would make some fans, Irwin was grateful for yet another chance to talk about animals in the press. "I never thought I would be bringing awareness by wearing my Bond's underpants and doing a lot of pushups," he told The Hollywood Reporter, "but here we are."

Now that Robert Irwin is in his twenties and has no qualms about helping animals by lounging around in his underwear, there is naturally a lot of attention paid to his dating life. In 2025, he spoke with People about his love life, revealing, "I'm single. It's funny, I'm at this point in my life where I'm like, I'm so open to that, but I'm just waiting for the stars to align." He added that he hoped said stars would align at The Australia Zoo, which is where Terri Irwin met Steve Irwin and where Bindi Irwin's relationship with Chandler Powell started, too.

Furthermore, Robert told People in a separate interview that his mother and brother-in-law are both Americans, so he's more than willing to settle down with someone from the States. His underwear-modeling gig might pay off in that respect, he said. "It was very funny ... it ended up creating, well let's just say the visitation at the zoo was really good and it was a lot of Americans. It was great."

After all, visitors to The Australia Zoo no longer see that tiny tot who was once dangled over a croc; instead, he's the Aussie hunk doing the feeding. He told People, "Yes, I'm all grown up."

In 2025, Robert Irwin signed on to yet another competition reality show, but this time he wasn't co-hosting; he was competing. Irwin competed on the American show "Dancing With The Stars," yet another opportunity to take his conservation message global. "'Dancing with the Stars' scares me more than anything else I've ever done!" he confessed to People. "I've never attempted anything close to dancing. I guess you could say that avoiding a crocodile trying to eat you requires footwork, but it's different."

During a TikTok-themed week on the show, Irwin performed a steamy salsa to a cover of Teddy Swims' mega-viral "Million Dollar Baby," stripping off his shirt and flashing those world-famous abs to the delighted shrieks of the audience. The performance caught the attention of a number of famous male revue groups, including the Chippendales and the Australian group Thunder From Down Under, both of whom reached out with offers to let Irwin host their performances. "Mate, all power to 'em, but not for me. Not right now," he told Entertainment Tonight. "Mate, all power to 'em, but not for me. Not right now," he laughed. "I'll take the shirt off now and again, but I'm gonna draw the line there."

His dance pro, Witney Carson, added that there would be no more shirtless routines this season. Things between them seem strictly professional, so it's unlikely that this partnership will develop into yet another real-life romance to come from the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom.