Inside Conjoined Twins Abby & Brittany Hensel's Surprising World
Thirteen years ago, Abby Hensel and Brittany Hensel set out to tell the next chapter in their story.
While they had opened up about their lives as conjoined twins in documentaries and interviews as children, the sisters decided to give fans a look into their world as young adults in the TLC reality show Abby & Brittany.
"People have been curious about us since we were born for obvious reasons. We’re identical twins who are conjoined," Abby and Brittany jointly shared in the opening of the series, which premiered Aug. 28, 2012. "But our parents never let us use that as an excuse. While life as a conjoined twin sometimes has its challenges, we were raised to believe we could do anything we wanted—so we do."The program followed the then-22-year-old twins as they attended college, graduated, traveled the world and started their careers as teachers. Because as they put it, "We like to think the most amazing thing about us is we’re just like everyone else."
While the show ran for only one season, Abby and Brittany, now 35, have continued to offer the occasional glimpse into their lives on TikTok. Like when they posted photos from Abby’s 2021 wedding to husband Josh Bowling.
Earlier this month, TMZ also published pictures of the siblings carrying a baby in a car seat in their home state of Minnesota. However, it was unclear how exactly Abby and Brittany were connected to the child. E! News reached out to them for comment but did not hear back. For his part, Josh has a daughter, Isabella, from a previous marriage.
But just because Abby and Brittany grew up in front of the camera, that doesn’t mean they should be forced to share every aspect of their lives with fans.
"I’ve had TV people come up to me and say that I owe the world more of an explanation regarding Abby and Brittany," their mom Patty Hensel said in the 2006 documentary Joined for Life: Abby and Brittany Turn 16. "I don’t owe the world nothing, and Abby and Brittany don’t owe the world anything either."
And their day-to-day is more than what followers see onscreen. As Abby and Brittany wrote on TikTok in 2024, "We know you think you know us."
For those hoping to learn more about the reality TV stars, keep reading.
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 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.”
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