Robert Irwin is calling out mainstream media for misrepresenting his family.
The conservationist, 22, spoke about navigating his life in the public eye in an interview with the Something to Talk About podcast released Saturday, in which he recalled a moment when paparazzi took pictures of him after the death of his beloved childhood pet chicken, Piggy.
Irwin said that when he was 16, he was getting off a flight when he learned that Piggy had died. The family had adopted the chicken after the death of his father, conservationist Steve Irwin.
“She was so much more than a chicken,” he recalled. “She was 13, and I got the text that she passed away. I got off the plane and there was a bunch of cameras taking photos of me.”
He continued: “I was absolutely cut up. I looked obviously very sad and then the reports come out: ‘Oh, there’s a family rift between Robert and his sister,’ or ‘Robert’s mum is doing this.’”
open image in gallery“They always villainize Mum for some reason,” Irwin said about his mother, Terri Irwin. “I’m like, dude, my pet chicken just died. Cool it, alright?”
He added, “Don’t start creating some sort of family drama just because my pet chicken died. That’s the only thing that sort of gets a little bit frustrating.”
Irwin said despite the challenges of fame, he remains grateful for his platform to spread his message of optimism and environmental advocacy.
Steve and Terri Irwin were married in 1992 and had two children — Bindi, 28, and Robert — before Steve was killed by a stingray injury aged 44 while filming an underwater documentary in 2006.
After Steve’s death, Terri faced public scrutiny over unfounded rumors of family rifts and her management of the Australia Zoo. However, she kept her focus on wildlife conservation and education.
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open image in galleryBoth of Terri’s children have repeatedly praised their mother in public, with Irwin even dedicating a performance to her on Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars.
“My mom has kept our whole family together through thick and thin,” he said on the show. “Through all the ups and downs, she’s just this constant, strong and stable individual.”
He continued: “But the thing I love about mum is that she’s so strong but also vulnerable and she’s funny and she’s everything I’d want to be in a person. She really leads by example.”
Before the dance, Irwin told his partner Witney Carson: “I was two when I lost dad, and as I got older, I started to realize just how hard it would have been for her to be there for us — and all the while, continue Dad’s legacy that her and dad built together.”
“I struggle a lot with losing dad, a lot, and she always made sure my dad was present in our lives. I wanted her to know how proud my dad would be of her,” he added.