Fact Check

Was the 'Crocodile Hunter' Really Friends with Tupac Shakur?

It's safe to say both men lived pretty large.

Published May 14, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO - JUNE 26:  ***EXCLUSIVE*** "The Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, poses with a three foot long alligator at the San Francisco Zoo on June 26, 2002 in San Francisco, California. Irwin is on a 3-week tour to promote the release of his first feature film, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course", due in theaters July 12th.  (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Image Via Getty Images
Claim:
A photograph shows rapper Tupac with wildlife expert Steve Irwin.

An image supposedly showing wildlife expert/entertainer Steve Irwin posing with rapper Tupac Shakur is frequently shared on social media:

This is not a genuine joint photograph of the two men, both of whom are now dead. It's a composite image comprising at least two different photographs.

The original picture of Irwin shows the crocodile hunter by himself giving two thumbs up to the camera. We have been unable to determine when and where this original photograph was taken, but it predates the "Tupac/Irwin" image by several years. The earliest posting of the original Irwin picture we could find was shared in a 2006 blog post made shortly after Irwin's death.

The original image of Tupac was taken circa 1993 and shows the musician alongside actors Laurence Fishburne and Janet Jackson at an event for the movie Poetic Justice.

Here's the original image of Steve Irwin (right) and the original photograph of Tupac (left):

This isn't the first time we've encountered a fake photograph supposedly showing two celebrities together. A few doctored mash-ups we've previously reported on include Jim Morrison with Jimi Hendrix and Bruce Lee, David Bowie with Lemmy, Lana Del Rey with Amy Winehouse, and Bruce Lee with Elvis.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.