Robert Irwin is entering his full-blown thirst era — and the internet is eating it up.
The 21-year-old wildlife conservationist, and son of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, just landed a People cover shoot that proves you don’t need to be half-naked to make fans feral. Posing at a Los Angeles ranch in a white tank top, denim, and surrounded by horses, hay, and even a kitten, Irwin somehow managed to break Twitter all over again.
Others compared him to another teen idol: “I’m firmly convinced Robert Irwin is the JTT of the 2020s.”
And maybe the most relatable reaction? “Saw those new pics of Robert Irwin and People magazine and I — I’m no better than a man is all I have to say about that.”
This latest wave of thirst follows his viral Bonds underwear campaign from April, where Irwin stripped down to boxer briefs while casually wrangling snakes and spiders.
“I did not expect the reaction it got!” he laughed in his People interview, admitting it took “way too many sit-ups” to prep. He may have been surprised, but the internet is still not over it, and now the People shoot has only reignited the collective crush.
Irwin insists he’s focused on bigger things, like competing on this season of Dancing with the Stars (“Dancing scares me more than anything else I’ve ever done!”) and using his platform to push his conservation mission. But even when he’s talking legacy, his body is doing most of the heavy lifting online.
And it’s not lost on queer fans, either. While Irwin himself isn’t gay, he’s been an outspoken ally, once tweeting that he was proud to be one, which maybe explains why so many LGBTQ+ readers feel entitled to claim at least a slice of the thirst pie.
Whether it’s boxer briefs and snakes or blue jeans and horses, Irwin has officially graduated from the Crocodile Hunter’s kid to Gen Z thirst trap king. And if the internet has its way (and we hope, for once, it does), this is just the beginning.
Check out his full interview with People below:
