Bindi Irwin had the most classic big sister reaction to brother Robert Irwin’s viral thirst traps.
“I will say there are some things as his sister that I can’t unsee,” the conservationist, 26, said while laughing during the Thursday, June 5, episode of Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” podcast. “When he did the Dancing [With the Stars] announcement, he was shirtless, and he recently did his Bonds commercial where he was in his underwear.”
She continued: “It is rough, I really want to be supportive. I really am so proud of him. He’s taking the message of conservation to new heights.”
Kelce, 33, added that when Robert, 21, was going viral on social media, she noticed there were varying reactions to him from different age demographics.
“The best part about it is that my algorithm showed me someone saying, ‘How disappointed he must be that there’s a group of people in the comments being like, oh my gosh I loved your dad,’” she recalled. “And that’s not the point.”
Bindi jokingly quipped, “That’s not the place!”
Kelce applauded Robert for using his online momentum to spotlight his family’s conservation efforts. Bindi agreed and shared that she spends more time on the side of the internet where he is “steering in the other direction” toward their nonprofit.
“It’s so cool watching him take the message, cause we have a charity called Wildlife Warriors,” she said. “Watching him grab people’s attention in a big way and then pivot and say ‘Here’s what we do, here’s our work, here’s our dedication to wildlife and conservation and you can get involved.’ It is wonderful and extraordinary to watch him shine.”
Bindi went on to say that she has a “mother hen” mentality when it comes to her brother.
“I’m trying to protect him, make sure he’s OK, and I’ve been that way his whole life,” she explained. “Now [I’m] just watching him shine and flourish and find his own path and voice. It is inspiring.”
Bindi admitted that she does get “a little bit scared” by the “intense” attention he gets from some supporters.
“It can be a lot. But he’s doing really well with all of it and I am very proud of him,” she said.
Robert has taken the internet by storm thanks to his modeling gig with Bonds underwear earlier this year. In April, it was revealed that he would be joining the cast of DWTS for season 34. During the official announcement, Robert walked out shirtless and holding a snake.
Last month, Robert exclusively opened up to Us Weekly about how he was faring with his newfound popularity online and revealed his DMs have turned into a “scary place.”
“I’ve been kinda sorta avoiding the direct message section for a little bit,” he explained. “The last couple months have been very eye-opening, that’s for sure. And I really thought in modeling Bonds underwear or doing Dancing With the Stars, that sort of thing, I could bring in a whole new audience to listen to my conservation message.”
