Robert Irwin Reveals He Broke His Foot After Winning Dancing with the Stars in This ‘Humiliating’ Way
“I’m rolling on the floor, ballooned, like this giant bruise,” Irwin told Jimmy Fallon about his injury
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(756x385:758x387):format(webp)/robert-irwin-tron-ares-premiere-2025-102325-6caefff5b138407faaf236244d7c32db.jpg)
NEED TO KNOW
- Robert Irwin is sharing the “worst” injury that came as a result of his Dancing with the Stars run
- Irwin told Jimmy Fallon while visiting The Tonight Show that he “broke” his foot after winning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy when he was dancing alone in his living room
- “It was humiliating,” he joked
Robert Irwin just revealed his “worst Dancing with the Stars injury,” and it actually took place after his time on the show ended.
On Monday, May 4, the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy winner told Jimmy Fallon ahead of his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he “broke” his foot while recreating one of his memorable dances at home.
“Nobody knows this. But it wasn’t actually on the show. This is after the season of Dancing with the Stars ended,” Irwin, 22, told the host. “I was alone in my room. I have a little fireplace, it’s made out of stones. And I’m sitting there going, ‘I wonder if I’ve still got it.'”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/robert-irwin-witney-carson-050526-5632a56955d34af0a50102944d30f9e9.jpg)
Testing himself, Irwin decided to put on the song from his first jive (“Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf), and give it a go. The results weren’t exactly what he wanted.
“You know, the one that has all the kicks? I put the song on and I just start going full HAM, 100% around my house,” Irwin said of the dance that he initially pulled off in September with his pro partner Witney Carson. “And I just slam my foot into the fireplace.”
He added, “I’m rolling on the floor, ballooned, like this giant bruise. And yeah, I broke my foot doing the jive in my living room, on my own. It was humiliating.”
While Irwin insisted “no one” knew about the injury, that statement apparently didn’t extend to Carson, 32, who commented under the Instagram post from The Tonight Show. “Love how you say ‘no one knows this’ you should have followed with ‘except for Witney,'” she joked.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(596x0:598x2):format(webp)/robert-irwin-witney-carson-1-050526-08c60544ae424e888859581627382e35.jpg)
During the season itself, Irwin suffered a rib injury just before his last show.
Irwin and Carson, 32, ended the DWTS season on top on Nov. 25. The wildlife conservationist told PEOPLE that the victory — which came almost exactly 10 years after his elder sister, Bindi, also won — meant “everything” to him.
“To follow in those footsteps and to do the same has meant everything to me,” he said backstage after the show finale. “This has absolutely changed my life.”
Fans of Robert on DWTS won’t have to wait long to see him back on the small screen. The season 34 will return to host Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro, a spinoff series premiering in July that aims to find the next pro dancer to join the franchise.
“For the first time in Dancing with the Stars history, the greatest dancers will compete for a spot as the next pro,” Irwin said in a teaser. “Let the fiercest dance battle begin.”
