Robert Irwin left mortified live on The Project over X-rated guest

The Project host Sarah Harris rushed to cover Irwin’s ears amid a series of increasingly X-rated remarks from the panel.

Robert Irwin co-hosted The Project on Wednesday and was left red-faced after a flurry of X-rated remarks.

Irwin, 20, appeared alongside Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Sam Taunton on Channel 10’s panel show to host the episode and chat about his new gig on I’m A Celebrity, as well as new renovations to the family-owned Australia Zoo.

Sarah Harris was left mortified by the X-rated jokes being told in front of Robert Irwin. Picture from X.

Things were all going pretty swimmingly - that was until British comedian Russell Howard made an appearance to talk about his upcoming Aussie tour.

Howard and Irwin have met in the past and previously hung out together when the British comedian visited Australia Zoo amid Covid. That familiarity seemingly led the comedian to feel comfortable letting out his naughty side on the panel in front of the youngster.

“I spent some time with Robert, which was really fun,” recalled Howard. “And the oddest moment about it, I was holding a baby koala – I don’t know if it was a baby, I think it was a male koala, and he started doing the mating noise. Which is like, panting, so Robert is doing it too and this koala is like, ‘Yeah, mate, yeah!’”

As the audience began to crack up, Howard continued to recall the incident: “But what made it really unnerving is before you started doing that, you told me that koalas had chlamydia, and so I’m holding it and he is doing that noise and the koala was generally going, ‘That’s the stuff, Rob, yeah, I’ll give you something to whinge about, Pom.’ It was properly weird!”

As Irwin began to awkwardly laugh, his shocked co-host Harris yelped: “Stop! He is practically a child!”

Co-host Sam Tauntan couldn’t hold back his laughter, teasing: “It was an X-rated day at the zoo is what it sounds like!”

As the interview continued, Taunton attempted to redirect the comedian, only for the conversation to once again quickly spiral into chaos much to the joy of the live studio audience.

Irwin couldn't hold back his laughter as the British comedian shocked the studio audience. Picture from X.

The British comedian has his own podcast, and in one of the segments he asks guests to list their favourite things they would put into a “wonder box” to carry with them.

Taunton quizzed Howard on what his response would be, and the comedian replied: “Well, I would have to put, I think, probably my nan is probably my favourite thing.”

“Well, you can’t put her in a box,” replied Taunton. Howard sparked a wave of laughter from the panel when he quipped: “Well she is already dead, so …”

As the comedian went on to share where he gets his naughty sense of humour from, he teased: “All the women in my life are funny, my nan, my mum is great, last Christmas my mum said, out of nowhere, ‘I don’t see the point of flavoured condoms, my fanny can’t taste!’”

Co-host Harris leapt out of her chair as the studio filled with laughter, quickly covering Irwin’s ears with her hands, yelling: “Ear muffs!” in a bid to maintain the young star’s wholesome image.

“You’re corrupting him!” she yelled at Howard as she continued to clutch Irwin’s face. “He is too sweet for this!”

“I’m not corrupting – he is the one. He does mating calls!” laughed the comedian in response.