Bindi Irwin built her adult life around love, legacy, and the family wildlife empire her father started, but new reports suggest that carefully balanced world is under strain. Multiple outlets say her marriage to Chandler Powell is facing serious pressure, with insiders pointing to a growing rift between her husband and her brother, Robert Irwin. At the center of it all is the question of how much fame, and the chase for it, is reshaping the dynamics inside one of television’s most beloved animal families.
The Irwin family’s tight bond meets a new kind of pressure
For years, fans have watched Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell present a united front, from their televised romance to their work at the family zoo and the birth of their daughter. Reports now describe that partnership as tested, with one insider saying Bindi is “really struggling” as tensions rise between her husband and her brother. The same reporting describes a “growing disagreement” that has started as a family issue and is now said to be affecting the couple’s relationship, with the strain framed as a direct hit to their once seemingly unshakable bond linked to Jan.
Those close to the situation paint a picture of Bindi caught between loyalty to her spouse and loyalty to her brother, a dynamic that would be challenging in any family, let alone one that lives so publicly. The suggestion that the disagreement has “put pressure on Powell’s wife” underscores how personal and emotional the conflict has become, with Bindi reportedly feeling pulled in two directions as she tries to keep peace at home and within the wider Irwin clan. That sense of being wedged between competing priorities is emerging as a key theme in the accounts of how this rift is unfolding behind the scenes.
Robert Irwin’s rising profile and accusations of ‘chasing fame’
At the heart of the reported conflict is Robert Irwin’s rapidly expanding public profile, which has shifted from family sidekick to headline attraction in his own right. Recent coverage claims that Bindi Irwin’s marriage is “struggling” in part because Robert is “chasing fame,” with sources alleging that his growing appetite for the spotlight has created friction with Chandler Powell and left Bindi feeling stuck in the middle of two men she loves, a dynamic tied to EST.
Other reports go further, saying Robert has been accused of “going totally Hollywood” as he leans into new television opportunities and public appearances. One account notes that Bindi Irwin’s marriage is reportedly “struggling” because of Robert “chasing fame,” and that she is “caught in the middle” between her brother and her husband, language that highlights how personal ambition and public exposure can complicate even the closest sibling relationships when careers and family businesses are intertwined with Robert.
Australia Zoo, family roles, and Chandler Powell’s reported exhaustion
The reported tension is not just about red carpets and camera time, it is also about who shoulders the day-to-day work of the Irwin legacy. The Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland, Australia, is owned by Bindi and Robert’s mother, Terri Irwin, while Bindi serves as the zoo’s chief executive and Chandler Powell is deeply involved in operations, a structure that ties their marriage directly to the health of the family business at The Australia Zoo.
Several accounts describe Chandler Powell as “exhausted” from running Australia Zoo while Robert basks in the spotlight, suggesting a growing imbalance between behind-the-scenes labor and public-facing opportunities. One report states that Chandler Powell has been left “exhausted” as he runs Australia Zoo while Robert enjoys the attention that comes with his rising profile, a contrast that appears to be feeding resentment and adding to the marital strain linked to Chandler Powell.
Reality TV, public appearances, and the pull of celebrity
Beyond the zoo gates, Robert Irwin’s expanding entertainment commitments are being cited as a flashpoint. One report notes that Robert is returning to reality TV by competing on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, and that he will also appear at certain dates on a live tour, moves that further cement his status as a standalone star and intensify the perception that he is prioritizing fame over the family’s shared workload, a narrative connected to Not.
Insiders quoted in the coverage say this surge in visibility has left Chandler Powell feeling sidelined and overburdened, with one account explicitly linking Bindi Irwin’s “struggling” marriage to Robert “chasing fame” and describing Chandler as worn down by the imbalance. That same reporting underscores that the marriage is reportedly under strain because Robert’s pursuit of celebrity has shifted the family dynamic, leaving Chandler “exhausted” and Bindi trying to bridge the gap between her brother’s ambitions and her husband’s frustrations tied to Marriage Reportedly.
A love story under scrutiny, from fairytale beginnings to reported strain
The scrutiny now surrounding Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell’s relationship is especially striking given how their story has been framed in the past. Profiles of the couple have emphasized how Bindi Irwin, who first appeared on her dad’s TV show The Crocod, grew up in the public eye before meeting Chandler and eventually marrying him in a ceremony that echoed the romance of her parents, a history detailed in coverage that asks who Bindi Irwin’s husband is and notes that, as of 2025, they remained together after years of partnership linked to The Crocod.
Even more recently, Bindi Irwin publicly celebrated a major milestone with Chandler Powell, marking 12 years together in a heartfelt Instagram post that highlighted their shared journey from young love to parenthood and leadership at the zoo. That tribute, shared on a Thursday in Novembe and filled with affectionate language, painted a picture of a couple deeply committed to one another, a narrative that now sits in tension with reports of a marriage under pressure and adds emotional weight to the suggestion that fame and family conflict are testing what once looked like an unshakeable bond tied to Instagram.
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