By Kayla DeKraker
Robert Irwin told a hilarious yet scary encounter he had with a crocodile named Jimmy Fallon while on THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON.
“He’s not a baby anymore. I named this crocodile Jimmy Fallon, like, years ago, and he’s now what we call a boss croc. He’s huge,” Irwin told the real Jimmy Fallon earlier this month. “Because we research crocodiles in the wild to, like, better conserve them, right? So the way you do that — my dad came up with this — is you actually have to jump on them.”
The giant reptile “death rolled” him.
Related: How Robert Irwin Carries on Father Steve Irwin’s Legacy
“I jumped onto him. I kid you not, [this] 14 foot of crocodile, big croc, death rolls me,” Irwin said. “So I’m stuck underneath him with my arm hanging out. I’ve got like probably, I don’t know, maybe 700 pounds on top of me. And I’m just like, ‘What do I do?’ And luckily he rolled back the other way, and I was fine. But he’s a goer.”
Irwin also thanked Fallon for giving him the opportunity to speak in the United States about his conservation efforts, which he first did on the talk show when he was 13.
“You created some of the most special memories that I’ll just keep with me forever. And, you know, it was a way to spread my passion for conservation, really, for the first time to America. It really kicked off so much. So thank you, man. Thank you,” he told Fallon.
Though Irwin continues the legacy of his late father, the Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, he’s become a television personality in his own right.
He won DANCING WITH THE STARS in 2025 and earned praise for combining entertainment with environmental advocacy.
After his win, Irwin said, “Coming over from Australia, I didn’t know how it would go. I didn’t think I’d make it this far, because I didn’t realize how incredibly supportive America would be. It’s impossible to put into words how much that has meant to me, because what I represent is so much more than just a dance.”
“When I step into the ballroom, I’m representing a legacy that my dad [Steve Irwin] created with my mom,” he added. “I’m representing everything I stand for, not only as a wildlife conservationist, but also as someone who is working really hard to try and spread some positivity and passion. I want to be a role model for young people.”
Irwin is set to host the new DWTS spin-off series, DANCING WITH THE STARS: THE NEXT PRO. It will premiere July 13 on ABC.
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