‘Disgraceful’: Star slams reaction to Robert Irwin shoot (2025)

The widespread reaction to Robert Irwin’s viral underwear photo shoot has some people labelled as “hypocrites”.

2GB presenter Lucy Zelic was speaking on Clinton Maynard’s show on Wednesday when she revealed her outrage.

Zelic called out what she labelled a “double standard” in some of the reaction to Robert Irwin’s Bonds shoot, which sees the wildlife expert in various states of undress showing off his physique.

“The reason why I have an issue with these comments is that this pursuit of gender equality and how appalling it is for men to objectify women ... why is it OK by today’s standards to objectify men?” she questioned.

“Why does the way we comment about women get criticised but the way that we comment about men gets celebrated and accepted? Would we accept these comments coming from middle-aged men directed at a 21-year-old woman?”

“If I responded in the way some of those women have to a female in Rob Irwin’s position, I wouldn’t have a job,” replied Maynard.

“You’d be crucified. You’d be cancelled, called toxic. This is misogyny, you’re disgraceful, you’re embarrassing,” interjected Zelic.

The sexy campaign all but broke the internet when it came out last week and spawned countless reactions on social media, many from women sharing their compliments.

Today host Sarah Abo was lost for words on air when Irwin’s photos were shown on screen, remarking of Irwin’s “python”: “It is quite long, isn’t it?”

Other women on social media remarked whether Irwin could “handle a cougar” and if he had “experience” with such an animal, while others commented that the star was “dangling his snake” in front of the world.

Irwin told People he had no hesitation stripping off for the Bonds campaign, adding that the decision to do it was “a pretty immediate yes.”

“I’m at this point in my life where I’m trying to do as many different and random exciting things, and if it’s something that makes me a little bit nervous, that I’ve never done before and it’s a bit of an adrenaline rush? That’s what I want to be doing,” he said.

Despite the influx of remarks from fans, Irwin shared more pictures from the shoot on social media including some behind the scenes videos.

The footage, shared to Instagram on Tuesday night, shows a very shirtless Irwin lifting weights and doing push-ups in a suburban yard as the photo-shoot crew mosey about in front of him.