Robert Irwin felt embarrassed during a wild interview on The Project on Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old appeared in a live interview holding a koala, with comedian Dave Hughes quickly quizzing him on whether koalas get ‘high’ from eating eucalyptus leaves all day.
“She looks relaxed? And is that because she’s high right now? Are koalas high most of their lives?” he asked.
A laughing Robert replied, “That’s a good question, Hughesy. Technically, koalas aren’t tall. They are, however, very chill. Very, very chill.
‘And the reason for that is that eucalyptus leaves don’t really give you a big dose of protein, you know? It’s not like a protein shake, so their energy levels are pretty low.
“They sleep 20 hours a day and they cruise, you know? Cruise through life.”
Dave’s co-star Kate Langbroek then compared Dave to a koala and joked that he had chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease common in koalas.
“I’ve never had chlamydia. As far as I know,” Dave argued, leaving Robert blushing.
Robert Irwin (pictured) was embarrassed during a wild interview on The Project on Tuesday night
“That wasn’t the direction I wanted this conversation to go, but here we are,” said the giggling Wildlife Warrior.
This comes after Robert announced his next career move, just a month after securing a milestone nomination for the prestigious Gold Logie.
On Wednesday, the renowned conservationist was announced as the presenter of this year’s TikTok Australia Awards, which recognise the country’s most popular social media influencers.
PR agency Adhesive confirmed the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of a beaming Robert holding a TikTok figurine as he poses with a stone crocodile at Australia Zoo.
The 20-year-old appeared in a live interview holding a koala, with comedian Dave Hughes (left) quickly quizzing him on whether koalas get ‘high’ from eating eucalyptus leaves
Dave’s co-star Kate Langbroek then compared Dave to a koala, joking that he had chlamydia – an STD common in koalas. ‘I’ve never had chlamydia. As far as I know,’ Dave argued, causing Robert to blush
“TikTok and Adhesive visited Australia Zoo today to announce Robert Irwin as the host of this year’s TikTok Awards, amidst the crocodiles,” they wrote.
‘TikTok’s night of nights’ takes place at Sydney’s iconic Hordern Pavilion, bringing together the most-watched creators, biggest viral trends and most talked about TikTok moments of 2024.
“We can’t wait to have Robert host the awards ceremony.”
The ceremony will take place in Sydney on Wednesday 27 November and will see popular influencers recognised with awards including Creator of the Year.
Robert shared his joy about his new job in a propositionand said: ‘As host of this year’s TikTok Awards, I’m looking forward to celebrating Australian creators and businesses who are leading the way on TikTok, all while having a blast on stage.’
TikTok has also partnered with Irwin’s charity Wildlife Warriors as an official partner for the prestigious ceremony.
“That’s not where I saw this conversation going, but here we are,” the Wildlife Warrior said
“It has become a crucial platform for me to share my message and my life at Australia Zoo. I am so grateful to be able to showcase our conservation efforts and the behind-the-scenes action to over 7.5 million followers,” they said.
In December last year, Australian social media star Indy Clinton was crowned the country’s most beloved influencer at the TikTok Australia Awards.
Robert is taking this step after reports emerged that he is raking in a lot of money by signing several lucrative presenting gigs that are earning him hundreds of thousands of dollars and that he has accepted several well-paying roles.
He is one of Australia’s most in-demand talents and currently presents Channel Ten’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Australia and is the face of a tourism campaign in QLD.
In addition to his success on television, he has also been increasingly involved in advertising. He earned $200,000 to appear in a one-minute commercial for Twisties. He also earned a similar amount to participate in a tourism campaign in Queensland, along with Bluey.
This week he also replaced presenter Tom Gleisner on Channel Ten’s comedy game show Have You Been Paying Attention?. This is Robert’s third TV appearance since the Logies.