It’s official: Robert Irwin is following in Bindi Irwin‘s footsteps. A decade after his big sister became one of the youngest winners ever to take home the mirrorball trophy, Robert is joining Dancing With the Stars and throwing his own dancing shoes into the ring when the show’s 34th season premieres this fall.
ABC announced the big news on Tuesday.
At Hulu’s Get Real! event in Beverly Hills, Robert appeared – snake in tow – to announce he will be competing on DWTS, becoming the first cast member who has been announced for season 34 so far.
In a video shared by the Good Morning America and DWTS Instagram accounts, Robert says that his mom Terri and sister Bindi were the first people he shared the news with.
“I sat them down and said ‘guys, I have a really, really big announcement,’ and I kid you not, the first thing Bindi said – it’s that sibling intuition – was ‘You’re doing Dancing With the Stars,'” Robert told the morning show. “There were squeals from Australia that I think you could hear from here in Hollywood. I mean, it was just so much excitement. I’m so happy that I have my family’s support behind me with this, and I’m excited to forge my own path.”
Robert is excited for his new gig.
At the Hulu event this week, Robert said, “I cannot tell you what an honor, what a privilege it is to be joining this season.”
He added, “I have these little dreams and now that dream is a reality and I am over the moon. Let’s do this.”
He credits his big sister for deciding to go for it.
In a post Robert shared on Instagram after the news was officially out, he shared that Bindi was his inspiration behind his ballroom ambitions. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid watching my sister’s incredible journey on the show back in 2016,” he wrote. “I cannot believe it is about to become a reality. So grateful.”
Later, he added another video with footage of himself cheering Bindi on in the audience of DWTS when she was competing on the show.
“11 year old me is beside himself right now,” he wrote. “Bindi, thank you for inspiring me to take on this next adventure.”
Bindi is already so proud of her little brother.
Bindi took to Instagram herself on Tuesday to share that she’s “excited to be back in the ballroom,” this time watching her brother compete on stage.
“Robert, you are going to absolutely shine in the ballroom,” she wrote in her post. “I wish I could express the magnitude of how proud I am of you and everything you have achieved. Can’t wait to cheer you on each week as you inspire so many with your strength, kindness and determination. Here’s to an extraordinary journey ahead.”
