Originally appeared on E! Online
Brittany and Abby Hensel aren’t going anywhere.
Amid news of Abby Hensel’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,” the Hensels captioned a March 28 TikTok video showing various ancient sculptures of conjoined twins. “We have always been around.”
The Hensels 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 Hensel—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 Hensel controls the left limbs while Abby Hensel 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 Hensel 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 Hensel’s 2021 wedding to her husband Bowling, 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.”
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
