Robert Irwin Survives Death Roll by 14-Foot Crocodile Named Jimmy Fallon

Robert Irwin survived a close call with a crocodile during wildlife research, recounting the incident on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.

The 22-year-old Australian conservationist said he was death rolled by a 14-foot crocodile he had named Jimmy Fallon as a baby. "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," Robert told host Jimmy Fallon. He explained that researchers jump on crocodiles in the wild to study them for conservation, a technique his late father Steve Irwin developed.

Robert jumped on the crocodile's back, and the reptile death rolled him. "I jumped onto him. I kid you not, 14 foot of crocodile, big croc, death rolls me," he 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."

Robert is the son of Steve Irwin, the reality TV star and environmentalist known as The Crocodile Hunter. Steve died in September 2006 when a stingray's tail pierced his chest and injured his heart while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef. Robert was 2 years old at the time.

Since Steve's death, his wife Terri and children Robert and Bindi have run Australia Zoo in Queensland and carried on his animal advocacy. Bindi was 8 when her father died.

"To continue this legacy is the honour of my life," Robert wrote on Instagram in October alongside a reel of footage with his father and animals. "If I can make my dad proud, I’ve done my job. Behind everything I do is a conservation mission that my dad started."

Robert and sister Bindi both won Dancing with the Stars. Bindi took the mirrorball trophy in season 21 in 2015 at age 17. Robert won in fall 2025 with partner Witney Carson.

"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," he told Men's Health in December 2025. "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."

Robert said he felt grateful to return week after week on the show. "When I step into the ballroom, I'm representing a legacy that my dad created with my mom. 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," he said. "I want to be a role model for young people."