Bill Maher’s controversial Halloween costume from almost two decades ago has resurfaced, much to the dismay of fans.

In 2006, the talk show host dressed as a dead Steve Irwin just a matter of weeks after the Crocodile Hunter’s death.

For the look, Maher, 69, wore a ginger wig, and a khaki button down shirt that featured a huge blood splatter on the chest.

He completed the outfit with a stingray barb sticking out of the center of the wound.

Maher defended his costume at the time.

Addressing audiences on his talk show, he said: ‘Stop hassling me about my Halloween costume.

‘Yes, you’ve seen it on the internet. I went as the Crocodile Hunter with a bloody stinger in my chest.

‘People who really love animals understand if you get killed by one, chances are you were doing something to it you shouldn’t have been.’

Bill Maher dressed up as a dead Steve Irwin just weeks after his death in 2006 

Irwin was killed aged 44 when he was barbed by a stingray on September 4, 2006 

Drawing a parallel with former presidential candidate John Kerry, who faced backlash over a joke that misfired regarding US soldiers in Iraq, he questioned, ‘Do you expect me to apologize for joking?’

‘Who do you think I am, John Kerry?’

The costume recently resurfaced on Reddit where users criticized Maher for the move.

‘Gross, why are celebrities so obsessed with each other dying gruesomely?’ one said.

‘What a piece of human garbage Maher is,’ another added. 

A third continued: ‘I grew up admiring Steve Irwin. I get teared up viewing his content now. I have even more reason to dislike Bill Maher.’

The beloved conservationist Steve Irwin tragically lost his life at the age of 44 on September 4, 2006, when he was fatally injured by a stingray at Batt Reef near Port Douglas in far north Queensland.

Efforts were made tirelessly by camera crews to help the esteemed environmentalist, bringing him to shore where paramedics administered CPR. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries before arriving at the hospital.

The beloved conservationist was pierced in the heart by the stingray 

Irwin is survived by his wife, Terri Irwin, and their two children, Bindi (pictured) and Robert

At the time, Maher defended his outfit choice. ‘People who really love animals understand if you get killed by one, chances are you were doing something to it you shouldn’t have been’ 

Seconds before his death, Irwin swam above the usually docile and harmless stingray, before it projected one of its barbs into his chest – potentially mistaking him for a shark.

Rays use the barbs, which are three venomous spinal blades in their tail, as a defence mechanism when threatened or stepped on.

The stingray pierced Irwin’s chest as he swam over it and struck his heart, with crews rushing the icon to their boat.

News of his death sent shockwaves across Australia and around the world.

Earlier this week, Chloe Sevigny sparked outrage after her Halloween costume of a dead Princess Diana resurfaced online.

In 1999, two years after Princess Diana’s death, Chloe, now 50, decided to dress up as the late royal at a special bash hosted by model Kirsty Hume and actor Donovan Leitch at Lot 61 in New York City.

For the costume, the famous face wore a camel-colored blazer with the words ‘Die Di’ embroidered on the lapel.