How Robert Irwin Will Honor Late Dad Steve Irwin on ‘DWTS’ (Exclusive)

Robert Irwin is planning to honor his late father Steve Irwin when he competes on Dancing with the Stars.

During an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE following the full DWTS season 34 cast reveal on Good Morning America on Sept. 3, the wildlife conservationist, 21, admits he wasn’t sure what Steve — who died following an unprovoked attack by a stingray on Sept. 4, 2006 — would think of him joining the ABC dance competition.

“I don’t know. I have no idea,” he says of what his father’s reaction would be. “Crikey, I don’t know, like all of the rhinestones and the glitter and all of that, it’s a lot, but you know, I think he always said it was really funny. He’d always go, ‘I don’t care if people remember me, I want people to remember my message and what I stand for.'” 

“And I think people remember his message and him,” he continues. “I mean, he just showed what it was to truly live life at 100% and above anything else, he was just the greatest dad, always there for us.”

When he steps into the ballroom alongside partner Witney Carson, Robert plans to channel his late father’s zest for life.

“I just hope to keep his legacy alive, his spirit, his sense of just love for life,” he shares. “And so if I can bring that kind of energy into the ballroom and honor him and his legacy, then I’ve done my job.” 

“So that’s what we’ll be trying to do is make him proud,” he adds.

Outside the ballroom, Robert and sister Bindi Irwin now work at the Australia Zoo, which Steve owned alongside his wife Terri Irwin.

The Irwin family have also dedicated their lives to carrying out Steve’s legacy and starred together in the Animal Planet series Crikey! It’s the Irwins. In September 2024, Robert was named a global ambassador for Prince William’s Earshot Prize, an initiative that seeks solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

No matter what happens in the competition, Robert knows he can always count on his family.

“They made the big 12 hour flight, everyone came over, and honestly, like as soon as we made the announcement, they were like, ‘Let’s go, like let’s go over there,’” he says of the family coming from Australia to Los Angeles to support him on DWTS. “My family are my biggest supporters.” 

“I’m so grateful to have them in my life, and I, at the end of the day, that’s the most important thing, you gotta keep the people that you love around you and it is so special because we were all here for Bindi’s journey on Dancing and now we’re back again and, and I’m just so stoked, mate. This is so cool.”

Fans may recall that Bindi won season 21 of Dancing with the Stars alongside her partner, Derek Hough, in 2015.

Robert says his sister has given him some words of wisdom before he puts on his dancing shoes.

“Honestly, the advice she’s given me that I’ve really tried to cling to is just make it your own and just enjoy [it] because it’s so fleeting,” he says. “It goes by so fast. She was there the whole way. I mean, she was there the entire show and won, and, and she still said it felt like a blink. But, she described it as the closest you can come to flying, you’re representing everything about you in dance.” 

“It’s just such a unique experience,” he continues. “So she said just enjoy, so that’s what I’m gonna try and do and also try and just lock in. This is hard, there’s a lot going on and we haven’t even done the first one yet.”

In addition to Robert and Witney, Olympic gymnast and gold medalist Jordan Chiles and partner Ezra Sosa, The Traitors and social media star Dylan Efron and pro Daniella Karagach, Boy Meets World alum Danielle Fishel and Pasha Pashkov, and Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying and Rylee Arnold will be facing off in the ballroom.

Also competing on season 34 is The Parent Trap actress Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten, NBA All-Star Baron Davis with partner Britt Stewart, actor and musician Corey Feldman with pro Jenna Johnson, Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui with partner Brandon Armstrong, and comedian Andy Richter with pro Emma Slater.

Rounding out the cast are social media star Alix Earle with pro Val Chmerkovskiy, Hilaria Baldwin with partner Gleb Savchenko and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt with DWTS‘ newest pro Jan Ravnik and Mark Ballas, respectively.

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Dancing with the Stars season 34 premieres Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and simulcast on Disney+. The show streams the next day on Hulu.