Bindi Irwin targeted in dozens of fake AI-generated posts

Matthew Elmas October 03, 2025
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Real images taken from Bindi Irwin's social media accounts have been shared with a fake news story. Image by AAP/Facebook

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

Bindi Irwin has been hospitalised in critical condition.

OUR VERDICT

False. She has not been hospitalised and the posts are fake.

AAP FACTCHECK - As Robert Irwin turns heads with his recent Dancing with the Stars performances, his big sister Bindi is being targeted with fake, AI-generated claims on Facebook.

The widely shared claims about the 27-year-old Australian conservationist, the daughter of Terri Irwin and the late Crocodile Hunter legend Steve Irwin, are false.

One post falsely claims that her brother announced that she had collapsed and was taken to hospital, unconscious and in a critical condition.

The post features what appear to be real images of Irwin lying in a hospital bed.

"Robert Irwin, in tears, announced that his 27-year-old sister, Bindi Irwin, had suddenly collapsed and was taken to the hospital," the post claims.

A photo of Bindi and Robert Irwin and their mother Terri in a jeep.
The Irwin family has become the subject of dozens of fake social media posts from offshore accounts. (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

However, a reverse image search reveals the images are screenshots from videos the conservationist posted about her battle with endometriosis on Instagram in May 2025 and March 2023.

There are no recent, credible news reports to suggest she has been rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Another post, which has been viewed more than 600,000 times in two days, claims Irwin recently performed with Elton John at Australia Zoo to celebrate her father, Steve Irwin's legacy.

Photos attached to the post display clear signs of AI generation and have been mixed in with a historical photo of her on the TV show Dancing With the Stars in 2015.

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
There's no evidence of a public legal spat between Bindi Irwin and Whoopi Goldberg. (AAP/Facebook)

The clues that the main image is AI-generated include the piano, which appears to be chopped off and lacks the required set of legs to stand.

Irwin has also supposedly just announced she is suing Whoopi Goldberg for "vicious defamation", according to a separate Facebook post shared last week.

"YOU MOCKED MY FAMILY," a quote attributed to the Australian in the post reads.

There's no evidence Irwin has filed a lawsuit in the US against the actor or that she's announced any legal action. There's also no record of the quotes attributed to her.

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
Fake posts involving the Irwin family have used real and AI-manipulated images to generate clicks. (AAP/Facebook)

Another post claims Irwin has left Australia Zoo after announcing she was adopted, alongside several images that display clear signs of AI generation.

However, there is no record that she has made any such statement about leaving the zoo.

While she is living in the US temporarily, it is to support her brother who is competing in Dancing with the Stars in Los Angeles.

Irwin has not made any statements suggesting she is adopted.

The image of her holding the echidna also appears to be AI-generated. Clues include the unnaturally long pinky finger on her right hand.

A screenshot of a Facebook post.
A number of pages are using AI-manipulated images of celebrities to drive traffic to websites. (AAP/Facebook)

While the claims in the post are false, that hasn't prevented the pages from getting hundreds of thousands of views.

Experts have previously told AAP FactCheck that similar pages use AI-generated content to generate clicks to sell advertising.

The practice is becoming more common as AI tools proliferate.

AAP FactCheck has previously debunked a series of false claims made by similar pages targeting the British Royals and prominent celebrities in recent months.

The Verdict

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Sources

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AAP FactCheck is an accredited member of the International Fact-Checking Network