In many ways, Robert Irwin was born to be on camera. Imbued with the same infectious energy that made his crocodile-hunting father, Steve Irwin, a national hero, Robert’s seemingly tireless enthusiasm for wildlife conservation has not only built upon the family legacy—it’s kicked it up a notch or two. If you’ve ever seen him work, you understand why. The lively 21-year-old Queenslander is remarkably comfortable in front of the lens, which makes a lot of sense when you consider he was literally born on camera and had his first major co-hosting gig on TV at the age of 10.
“I’ve been around a camera since I was a baby, literally,” Irwin jokes. “It’s just always been a part of my life, and the nice thing is that I’ve just gotten used to it. I never worry about public speaking, or stressing that there’s a camera around. It’s just another person in the room .”
That level of comfort is clear, and it allows Irwin to be one of the most genuine and authentic voices in wildlife conservation, all while reaching a world-wide audience thanks to a massive six million strong social-media following. It feels like it’s part of his family history, but having the same authenticity on camera as his dad wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Thankfully, Robert has taken to his celebrity with enthusiasm while charting his own path forward.
Between his work on TV with shows like I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, walking the runway at Melbourne Fashion Festival, hosting the 2024 TikTok Awards, or delivering his own unique brand of wildlife and landscape photography, Robert Irwin is doing conservation in his own, unique way.
A New Approach
While Irwin has to wear a lot of hats due to the nature of his work and life, he considers himself a conservationist first, and entertainer second, and his work as an entertainer is always done to support the first.
“My mum and dad really pioneered a new era for conservation, and were able to literally inspire an entire generation through the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ series,” Robert explains. “Everything they did, and the movement they created, it’s all still alive today 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 .”
For Irwin, seeing an animal that’s been rehabilitated over the course of months, once on the verge of death, being released happily and healthily back into the wild reminds him why he does what he does.
The Irwin family owns and operates Australia Zoo and has helped rehabilitate more than 140,000 animals to be released back into the wild while also playing a large role in getting about half a million acres of protected land set up as national parks.
Australia Zoo also operates several conservation projects, such as Wildlife Warriors, which was established to bring disparate conservation efforts together and inspire the next generation through action. Being a part of that process is incredibly important to Irwin, and it gives meaning to the work he does outside of conservation: it’s all in the spirit of inspiring as many people as he can to do what they can to support the wild world around them.
It’s just that, sometimes, the best way to inspire the next generation is to get on TikTok.
“The cool thing about the job I’ve got is that there’s so many ways to . I can do things like I’m a Celebrity, or I can feeding crocodiles at Australia Zoo, or, on the science front, we have the world’s longest-running telemetry study of crocodilians in the world in partnership with the University of Queensland,” he said.
“You’ve got to be able to be a horticulturist, a scientist, an entertainer, and for me, a photographer. I’ve gotten to work in maybe 20 different industries within this one career, and I’m very lucky to be able to do all that.”
That focus on photography was something Robert leaned into early on in his life, and helped him figure out his own approach to doing what his family does best.
“I think it’s really important, during your formative years, to find yourself and find your feet,” Irwin explained. “I’ve always loved the visual arts, whether it’s in front of or behind the camera, and I just love creating something people can look at and .
“If I’m doing that, that’s what I want in life, and photography was a way for me to really take charge, take control, get a camera and just start taking really cool pictures of animals.
“It forces you to slow down and look at the world in a different light. I always have a camera with me these days, usually an old stick-film camera, where you actually have to roll the film in. You know? You get 30 shots, so you have to get it right.”
That interest has turned into a new avenue to help tackle conservationist issues, as well as bring the dark side of human-animal relations to light, where Irwin has been able to travel and get photos on the front lines of rhino poaching or crocodiles getting trophy hunted. It’s important work, and it’s work he’s proud of.
Lights, Camera, Action
Now, at 21 years of age, he’s the face of modern conservation in Australia and is bringing all that talent and knowledge to bear on Channel 10’s I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, alongside co-host Julia Morris. At home in the jungle and on camera, it’s a perfect fit, really.
Irwin joined the show in 2024, and has taken to the gig easily.
“It’s been such a natural fit with everything I’ve done since I was literally knee-high-to-a-grasshopper, but it’s also really new and fresh. It’s a new challenge for me,” he said. “I’m hoping I bring a bit of the Irwin legacy, a bit of conservation to the I’m a Celeb format. It’s been so much fun, and I’m honestly grateful to be a part of it.”
Filming the show wasn’t easy, mind you. The crew and celebrities spend a solid two month stint in the African jungle: a hostile environment that often made filming difficult, if not impossible.
“Sometimes we had to pause filming because a hippo was coming onto set, or baboons were coming in to steal our food. I know a lot of people wonder how real it is, but it’s real, what you see is what you get,” he said.
That experience can bring out a lot of insecurities in people, Irwin said, but also helps to highlight the strengths they have that aren’t necessarily visible in normal life.
“Everyone has an epiphany , you’re all so disconnected from reality, from your phone, and you realise there’s this part of them that they might not have experienced before: it’s a realy interesting psychological experiment to watch unfold,” he said.
While the celebs are having a rough time in the jungle, and the hosts are doing it a bit better, Irwin was quick to note that the animals and the environment around the show is always taken care of.
“It doesn’t matter what’s happening , we’re looking at the temperature, the weather, who the animal will be working with, how they’ll react – we want to make sure that they’re happy, and that it’s a positive experience for the animal, even if it isn’t for the celeb,” he said.
“At the end of the day, I really want to help people fall in love with our wildlife, and to accidentally learn something. It’s easy to tell someone a rhino weighs two tonnes or whatever when they’re at home, but when they’re face-to-face with a snake and they’re afraid, and you can explain to them why they don’t need to be, .”
