Robert Irwin was clearly super excited to post his TikTok on Halloween, dressed as Dwight Schrute from The Office, but things quickly turned south when users mistook his costume as notorious serial killer Jeffery Dahmer.
Robert Irwin is the son of the beloved late zookeeper and television personality Steve Irwin, who tragically lost his life in 2006 after an injury at the hands of a stingray.
18-year-old Robert has carried on his dad’s passion for conservation and animal welfare, helping run the family zoo in Australia and sharing the same enthusiasm that made his father so popular worldwide.
More recently, he’s taken to TikTok to start showing off a more behind-the-scenes look at their work, regularly posting videos with all manner of animals and discussing them, sharing it with the world.
When he took to TikTok to show off his and his family’s Halloween costumes — dressed as characters from the US version of The Office — Robert didn’t expect some of the backlash that arrived.
Dressed as Dwight Schrute and repeating popular phrases from the hit show, many understood who he was supposed to be straight away. Many, however, confused him for Jeffrey Dahmer, the serial killer whose story was recently told in Netflix’s biographical crime drama Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and the Australian came under fire as a result.
“Tell me he’s not dressed as Jeffrey Dahmer on Halloween. Cause if he is then bye,” said one commenter, while many others asked if he was meant to be Dahmer or claimed they got “Dahmer vibes” from it.
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These comments were quickly overrun, however, by fans coming to his defense, questioning how they could possibly miss what they deemed to be very clear, in that he was actually Dwight.
“Guys he’s clearly dressed as Dwight from the office and not Dahmer,” said one user. “Have you guys not heard these lines before?”
“People are confused?” another asked. “I’ve never seen the Office and I knew who he was, both of them.”
Irwin himself hasn’t responded to the comments or addressed any of the backlash, but given the fact that it was more a mistake on the part of those who misread his costume, it’s unlikely he’ll feel the need to discuss it.
The Aussie only posts on TikTok once a week or so, so time will tell whether he does address it in his next post.
TikTok has been awash with Dahmer-related content, which has caused some controversy on the platform, particularly over ‘fan cams’. TikTok star Jack Wright faced backlash after dressing up as the killer.
