Current:Home > MyConjoined Twins Brittany and Abby Hensel Respond to "Loud" Comments After Josh Bowling Wedding Reveal-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Conjoined Twins Brittany and Abby Hensel Respond to "Loud" Comments After Josh Bowling Wedding Reveal
View Date:2024-12-24 00:02:16
Brittany and Abby Hensel aren't going anywhere.
Amid news of Abby's marriage to Josh Bowling, the conjoined twins—whose inspiring journey has been told in numerous documentaries—let others know that they'll never be silenced. In fact, as the 34-year-old sisters pointed out, their story is one that stands the test of time.
"The internet is extra LOUD today," Brittany and Abby captioned a March 28 TikTok video showing various ancient sculptures of conjoined twins. "We have always been around."
Brittany and Abby first gained national attention in 1996, when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to share how they navigate life through their unique dynamic. Though they each can sleep, eat and talk separately, Brittany—who is anatomically joined to her sibling from the belly button down—operate one body, resulting in the siblings needing to be highly in sync with one another.
Their case was also explored in the 2007's Extraordinary People: The Twins Who Share a Body. As discussed in the doc, Brittany controls the left limbs while Abby controls the right. They also each have their own heart, brain, set of lungs, stomach and kidney, but share other organs such as the liver and the bladder.
"We are totally different people," Brittany noted. "We usually bargain with each other like, ‘If you do this, I'll do that.' Or we take turns."
After starring in their 2012 TLC reality series Abby & Brittany, the Minnesota natives retreated from the public spotlight to focus on their transition to adulthood. In recent years, the pair chose not to publicly discuss certain details of their lives, including Abby's 2021 wedding to her husband Josh, though they recently shared images of them all together on TikTok.
As Brittany previously shared in their 2006's Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16, "The whole world doesn't need to know who we're dating or what we're gonna do and everything."
Read on to learn more about Brittany and Abby.
Abby and Brittany were born on March 7, 1990. Their mother, Patty Hensel, shared in a 2007 documentary Extraordinary People: The Twins Who Share a Body that she only expected to deliver one baby when she gave birth based on scans. Abby and Brittany were initially born with three arms, but had one removed as it wasn’t functional.
Patty and her husband Mike Hensel were told Abby and Brittany were inseparable as babies. And while Patty explained that separation may have been possible as the girls matured, the parents chose to keep them conjoined as they were able to live a full, healthy life together.
"We never wish we were separated," Abby and Brittany both explained in the 2007 documentary. "Because then we wouldn't get to do the things we can do—play softball, meet new people, run."
In the 2007 documentary, Abby and Brittany explained that they are often able to anticipate what the other will say when curating an email or online message. In fact, they tend to refer to themselves as one person, unless they disagree. In those cases, they'll say "Abby says" or "Brittany says."
They also now share singular social media accounts, which are private and mostly inactive.
Abby and Brittany have long expressed their understanding of people's curiosity toward their life. Still, they admitted to feeling frustration at the reaction they’re met with in public, especially people taking their photo without permission.
“We absolutely hate when people take pictures of us” Abby explained in 2007. “And we will throw a fit about it, and make them embarrassed.”
Additionally, while doctors were curious about their health and growing process as children, Mike and Patty Hensel did not allow any unnecessary tests be done on their daughters. Brittany and Abby also said the doctor's office was their least favorite place to go at the time.
“While they are unique, the family wants to treat them like they are just like anyone else,” the family’s doctor Joy Westerdahl explained in 2007. “I have to be mindful of the family’s wishes not to get too involved.”
After marrying Josh Bowling, a nurse and veteran, Abby gained another family member—his 8-year-old daughter Isabella. The couple officially tied the knot on November 13, 2021. And while the news was shocking to the public, Abby and Brittany have always had starting a family on their minds.
"Yeah, we're going to be moms," Brittany said in Joined for Life: Abby & Brittany Turn 16 in 2006. "We haven't thought about how being moms is going to work yet."
Now in their thirties, Abby and Brittany have maintained their privacy since Abby & Brittany aired in 2012. The one-season reality series depicted the young women's lives as they wrapped up college and entered into adulthood.
Abby and Brittany began working as a teacher shortly after graduating college. When they were initially hired, they shared they were not in a salaried position, but were given separate contracts, and split their pay.
They currently teach fifth grade together at an elementary school in Minnesota.
“Math and science is kind of my strong point,” Abby explained on an episode of Abby & Brittany. “Where Brittany is more focused on the language arts, reading—stuff like that.”
Peacock is live now! Check out NBCU's streaming service here.veryGood! (996)
Related
- Mechanic dies after being 'trapped' under Amazon delivery van at Florida-based center
- Bullfighting set to return to Mexico City amid legal battle between fans and animal rights defenders
- 2 are in custody after baby girl is found abandoned behind dumpsters in Mississippi
- Get $504 Worth of Anti-Aging Skincare for $88 and Ditch Wrinkles— Dr. Dennis Gross, EltaMD, Obaji & More
- West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
- British Museum reveals biggest treasure finds by public during record-breaking year
- Small town residents unite to fight a common enemy: A huge monkey farm
- 49ers vs. Lions highlights: How San Francisco advanced to Super Bowl 58 vs. Chiefs
- Brian Kelly asks question we're all wondering after Alabama whips LSU, but how to answer?
- Jay Leno petitions to be conservator of wife Mavis' estate after her dementia diagnosis
Ranking
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- Shohei Ohtani joining Dodgers 'made too much sense' says Stan Kasten | Nightengale's Notebook
- 2024 Super Bowl: Odds, TV, date and how to watch San Francisco 49ers-Kansas City Chiefs
- Pedro Almodóvar has a book out this fall, a ‘fragmentary autobiography’ called ‘The Last Dream’
- Surfer Bethany Hamilton Makes Masked Singer Debut After 3-Year-Old Nephew’s Tragic Death
- Fact-checking Apple TV's 'Masters of the Air': What Austin Butler show gets right (and wrong)
- Fans of This Hydrating Face Mask Include Me, Sydney Sweeney, and the Shoppers Who Buy 1 Every 12 Seconds
- Teenager awaiting trial in 2020 homicide who fled outside hospital is captured in Philadelphia
Recommendation
-
Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
-
A woman's 1959 bridal photos were long lost. Now the 85-year-old has those memories back.
-
Country music star Chris Young cleared of all charges after arrest in Nashville bar
-
Key points from AP analysis of Trump’s New York civil fraud case
-
How Leonardo DiCaprio Celebrated His 50th Birthday
-
Watch Pregnant Sofia Richie's Reaction to Finding Out the Sex of Her Baby
-
How shoot lasers into the sky could help deflect lightning
-
70 Facts About Oprah Winfrey That Are Almost as Iconic as the Mogul Herself