Robert Irwin Shut Down This Messy Rumor About His Relationship With Mom Terri

Robert Irwin is his father's son when it comes to his love of animals and his commitment to wildlife conservation, but he'll turn into a viper — or, at least his colleagues will — when people disparage his beloved mother, Terri Irwin. In 2024, the "Dancing with the Stars" contestant stopped by "The Kyle & Jackie O Show." When Robert brought up that his mom had just turned 60, co-host Kyle Sandilands asked where Terri was, since she wasn't at the interview with her son. "Hang on, hang on, whoa," Sandilands exclaimed. "Are you saying that the press reports are inaccurate that everywhere you go, your mother's there?" Robert sarcastically joked that the media would never get information wrong. He brushed off the allegation, laughing at its absurdity, but Julia Morris, Robert's co-host on the reality series "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" who was also present, had a stronger reaction.

The TV personality acknowledged how much those kinds of stories bothered her, with Morris theorizing that the writers behind them didn't have good relationships with their families, unlike Robert and Terri. "If you've got parents that are as unbelievably awesome as Terri, and you have a great relationship, you want them to be around at all times," she pointed out. If someone doesn't see eye to eye with their family, or they have a more antagonistic relationship, then it may be hard to understand why anyone would want their mom and/or dad around all the time. After Morris's mini tirade, Robert himself chimed in, reasoning that the death of dad Steve Irwin helped bring his family even closer together.

Unfortunately, the rumor that Terri Irwin accompanies her adult son, Robert Irwin, everywhere is still a hot topic online at the time of writing (we guess reporters didn't listen to that "Kyle & Jackie O Show" podcast!). In October 2025, the Daily Mail published a first-person story from writer Jonica Bray, who found it extremely odd that Terri attended Robert's "Dancing with the Stars" performances, alongside appearing on the set of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" She referred to both as "Robert's workplace[s]." As a result, Bray felt that Terri was an unwelcome lurker in his life. Despite Robert debunking the longstanding rumor that his mom goes everywhere with him, it doesn't seem like such speculation will be fizzling out anytime soon.

Thankfully, this doesn't seem to have affected the mother-son duo's strong relationship — which is good, because Steve Irwin's widow definitely doesn't need any more tragedy in her life. In October 2025, for "Dedication Night" on "DWTS," Robert danced in her honor. "My mom exemplifies how to be strong," he gushed in a chat with People, which was conducted after his heartwarming performance. "My mom is just such a kind and vulnerable and strong and steadfast human being, and she teaches me every day what it is to put one foot in front of the other, even when it's so hard to do that."

Notably, Terri was Robert's biggest cheerleader throughout his tenure on the hit show, consistently posting about him and partner Witney Carson on Instagram, while confirming how proud she was of her son. Robert Irwin has undergone a stunning transformation in the public eye and, regardless of what the peanut gallery might think, it doesn't seem like anything is going to push mother and son apart.