“I do also want to see how ‘Dancing with the Stars’ can incorporate khaki…,” Robert said of his upcoming stint on the celebrity dancing competition

Robert Irwin.Credit : Ethan Miller/Getty 

NEED TO KNOW

Robert Irwin will soon compete on Dancing with the Stars, following in his sister Bindi Irwin’s footsteps
Irwin joked about going shirtless on DWTS a month after his viral Bonds underwear campaign
He recently attended the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas, honoring his late father’s legacy in conservation

Robert Irwin is ready to bare it all on Dancing with the Stars.

The conservationist, 21, opened up about his upcoming run on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars while speaking with Extra at the Steve Irwin Gala to support the Wildlife Warriors conservationist organization at Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 10.

His older sister, Bindi Irwin, competed and won the Mirrorball trophy in 2015. “I’ve been thinking about it for 10 years. Literally, since Bindi did it,” Irwin told the outlet.

He remembered being a “little bloke” at 11 years old, hoping, “One day, that’s going to be me.” Irwin then joked that he would give fans a shirtless treat during his time on the show.

“You heard it here first. Yes, I don’t think that shirt’s lasting long,” Irwin said. “You’ve got to have mobility. You can’t let it get in the way.”

He joked that he wants to see another fashion choice on the upcoming season.

“But I do also want to see how Dancing with the Stars can incorporate khaki… I need a piece of Australia Zoo, a piece of Irwin-ness in there,” said Irwin.

Irwin attended the gala honoring his father’s legacy while his sister underwent emergency appendix surgery. “She’s going to be OK, but surgery — out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them,” he exclusively told PEOPLE, adding that their mother, Terri Irwin, 60, also missed the gala.

Bindi provided a health update in an Instagram video shared on Monday, May 12. “I had my appendix removed. I also had 14 new endometriosis lesions that had to be removed, and they kindly stitched up my hernia as well,” she said in the clip, noting that she is “forever grateful” to her doctors.

Robert Irwin, Terri Irwin and Bindi Irwin visit Build Studio to discuss the documentary TV series “Crikey! It’s The Irwins”. Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Irwin recently went viral for an underwear campaign with Bonds in April 2025. The son of late crocodile hunter, environmentalist, and zookeeper Steve Irwin, Robert, works to include wildlife in his internet presence and modeling career.

In the skin-baring photos, Irwin sports the Bonds white boxers while hanging out with a tarantula and a snake. Irwin previously told PEOPLE exclusively, “I wish I could say I was very suave and cool about the whole thing, but I was like, ‘Yes! Let’s do it!’ Because Bonds in Australia is an absolute icon,” he said.

Irwin continued at the time, “Also, 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.”

“I mean, I’ve spent my life wrangling crocs and snakes and rescuing animals. And so to feature a little slice of that excitement in this new campaign, mate, it has been so much fun. I mean, I’m surrounded by spiders and snakes except [this time] I’m in my undies. That’s the only difference,” he said.

Dancing with the Stars will return for season 34 this year.