Robert Irwin gave fans an unexpected scare after opening his car door and discovering he wasn’t alone.
The 22-year-old wildlife conservationist and Dancing with the Stars champ shared a TikTok on January 28 that quickly sent shivers down viewers’ spines. As the camera rolled, Irwin opened his car door and casually explained that he hadn’t realized there was already a “passenger” inside.
Seconds later, he panned the camera to reveal the surprise sitting in the driver’s seat: a massive spider.
“I open up my car door, and I didn’t realize that, uh, there would already be a passenger in here,” Irwin said before greeting the critter like an old friend. “Hello, mate. A little passenger princess. There she is.”
Rather than panicking, Irwin calmly shut the door and let the spider be — a very on-brand response for the son of late wildlife legend Steve Irwin.
Fans, however, were far less chill.
The comments section quickly filled with horrified reactions. One user joked, “THIS is why I live where the air hurts my face and the cold freezes my snot six months out of the year,” while another quipped, “Pretty sure it’s actually a passenger problem.”
The viral spider moment comes during a busy stretch for Robert Irwin. After winning the Mirrorball Trophy on Dancing with the Stars last November, Irwin returned to television in January as a co-host of Australia’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, alongside Julia Morris.
In a teaser ahead of the new season, Irwin promised chaos. He called it the most intense, challenging, and emotional season yet, teasing that the celebrity contestants are “gonna get a run for their money.”
Irwin’s DWTS victory was also a family full-circle moment. He and partner Witney Carson took home the trophy a decade after his sister Bindi Irwin won her season with Derek Hough.
After the win, Irwin brought the Mirrorball back to Australia, proudly showing it off to the animals at Australia Zoo, the family-run conservation hub founded by his parents.
“The mirrorball has made it home,” he wrote on Instagram, sharing clips of the glittering trophy alongside kangaroos, koalas, and other wildlife.
Whether he’s winning dance competitions, hosting TV shows, or casually finding giant spiders in his car, Irwin continues to prove that wildlife — wanted or not — is never far away in his world.
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