Steve Irwin’s Son Robert Irwin ‘Freaks Out’ Jimmy Fallon
Steve Irwin’s son is making sure the Irwin legacy lives on. People writes that almost 11 years after the tragic death of the Crocodile Hunter star, Irwin’s son, Robert Irwin, is following in his famous father’s footsteps along with his big sister, Bindi Irwin.
Robert was only a toddler, and his sister Bindi Irwin was 8-years-old when Irwin senior died after a deadly stingray barb pierced him during the 1998 filming of the documentary Ocean’s Deadliest. Now, at 13, the youngest of Irwin’s two children looks, dresses, and behaves almost exactly like his dad.
On February 13, Bindi Irwin’s little brother visited The Tonight Show with some of his favorite critters, including an “African dwarf crocodile, a screaming armadillo, and Lady, the red-tailed boa constrictor.”
When Robert walked out on the stage, Jimmy Fallon and the entire audience were blown away at the striking resemblance between Irwin and his father.
Robert wore the same familiar Crocodile Hunter shorts and shirt that Irwin senior always wore for his work with exotic animals. It wasn’t just the clothes though. Robert Irwin has Steve Irwin’s blonde hair, smile, and total ease with animals of all kinds. According to E! News, Fallon noticed right away that Robert was the “spitting image of his enthusiastic father.”
“It’s so cool to see you like this. You’re actually your dad. You’re so excited.”
It wasn’t the first time that an Irwin visited The Tonight Show with scary creatures in tow. Robert’s visit with Jimmy Fallon was even more disturbing for the current host than it was for Jay Leno when Steve Irwin dropped by with an assortment of dangerous animals. Robert was thrilled to carry on the Irwin family tradition of frightening talk show hosts with dangerous critters.
“My dad was actually on The Tonight Show quite a while ago and it’s really nice to be able to follow in his footsteps.”
When Irwin handed Leno a boa constrictor and obviously expected the talk show host to enjoy the experience, Leno carried it off well. With a look of concentration on his face and Steve standing by just in case, Jay played with the snake for a few moments before giving it back.
Jimmy Fallon didn’t fare as well when faced with a friendly boa that Robert brought along. Us Weekly writes that at one point, Fallon told Irwin that he was “a little afraid of animals.”
Despite Fallon’s fears, Steve’s son still convinced Jimmy to handle the snake. Fallon is “typically cool, calm and collected,” but the snake was his undoing.
Fallon admitted that he “lost it a bit” when Lady did what constrictors do, and began to squeeze his hand. But Robert wasn’t phased at all. “I think she’s maybe constricting you a little bit,” said Robert calmly to a “terrified-looking” Jimmy.
How cute was Robert Irwin on the Jimmy Fallon show lmfao he is literally steve Irwin reincarnated
— jorae (@joraelenedalco_) February 18, 2017
After releasing Jimmy from the constrictor, Robert decided to give his host a break from the scary animals in his entourage. Serenity, a 25-pound sloth, was “waiting in the wings” to snuggle with Jimmy and make him feel better.
The sloth really took to her host and settled in for a nice long snooze. She didn’t want to let go of her new friend as she cuddled up to her host, and Irwin was impressed with Jimmy.
“I think it’s official. You’re a sloth whisperer.”
Steve’s son appeared on the show to promote the yearly fundraiser held in Steve Irwin’s honor.
“It’s called the Steve Irwin Gala Dinner, and this year it’s in L.A. on May 13th. And it’s all about celebrating everything that Dad loved, and it’s a really big fundraiser to raise money for Wildlife Warriors.”
[Featured Image by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for the ASTRA Awards]
