Robert Irwin fought back tears during an emotional interview this week with veteran broadcaster Anderson Cooper on his podcast All There Is. The 21-year-old Wildlife Warrior opened up about processing grief following the death of his father, the legendary Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin.
Emotional Moments in Conversation
During the expansive interview, Robert became visibly emotional when Cooper asked if he still communicated with his father, who died in 2006 at age 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming off the Queensland coast. "Yeah, there are... there are moments where..." Robert began before choking up, prompting Cooper to offer him an out if the topic proved too personal.
Finding Connection in Nature
Pushing through the emotional moment, Robert revealed he feels closest to his father when alone in natural settings. "I'm always closest to Dad when I'm in the middle of nowhere, when I'm out in the bush," he explained. "There are absolutely moments where I'll be hit with this sense of... it's warmth – it's like something kind of wraps around me."
He then shared the heartbreaking question he asks Steve during these private moments: "I will absolutely sit and just say: 'How do I, like, how do I go forward?' How do you move forward?"
Catharsis Through Solitude
Robert explained that while his father remains a constant presence in his life through public memory, solitary moments in nature provide the greatest emotional release. "With my dad always being this constant thread in my life and people always talking about him, sometimes one of the nicest things is to just sit... in nature and I just kind of let it all go," he said.
"I let it all sort of pour out and it feels like I'm kind of letting him in. Sometimes I sit and just go: 'What's next? How do I put one foot in front of the other?' And there's no answer, but it almost feels like there's a resolution that comes out of that."
The Duality of Presence and Absence
While Robert acknowledged feeling his father's presence strongly at Australia Zoo, which Steve built, he also described the profound emptiness of his physical absence. "When I walk around our place here at Australia Zoo, when I'm in the place that he built... I feel him so completely, but it's impossible not to feel that equal sense of emptiness from him not being here," he revealed.
Growing up, Robert found comfort in being able to see his father in videos and pictures, but this visual connection couldn't fully compensate for the loss.
Greatest Fear and Maternal Support
Robert became particularly emotional discussing his ongoing fear of forgetting how his father "felt," describing this concern as something that "for a long time really, really keep me up at night." He credited his mother Terri as instrumental in preserving Steve's memory and character.
"I think one of the greatest saving graces in keeping him alive in my life is my mum," Robert said. "She is the reason why I have such a clear picture of the person that he was."
Previous Emotional Moments
This isn't the first time Robert has become emotional discussing his father. In June last year, during an appearance on BBC Radio 2's Scott Mills Breakfast Show, he was visibly moved when played a clip of Steve outlining his dreams for Robert and sister Bindi.
Steve's voice had cracked with emotion as he admitted that seeing his children take up the Wildlife Warrior mantle would be his "proudest moment." Robert responded by calling his father his "superhero" who would "always will be" and was "a superhero to an entire generation."
The Legacy Continues
Steve Irwin died on September 4, 2006, while filming in the Great Barrier Reef with Philippe Cousteau Jr. A private funeral was held on September 9, followed by burial at Australia Zoo. A public memorial service at the zoo's 5,500-seat Crocoseum on September 30 was broadcast to an estimated audience exceeding 300 million people worldwide.
Nearly two decades later, Robert continues to honor his father's legacy while navigating the complex emotions of grief, finding solace in nature, family support, and the ongoing mission of wildlife conservation that defined Steve Irwin's life and work.
