Who Are Abby and Brittany Hensel? Catch Up With the Conjoined ...
Conjoined Twin Abby Hensel is Married
Abby Hensel and Brittany Hensel are back in the spotlight.
More than a decade after their TLC series Abby & Brittany ended, the sisters, who are among the longest-living dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins ever at 34, have reentered the zeitgeist amid the news that Abby tied the knot with Josh Bowling in 2021.
Abby, who is on the left in photographs, and Brittany, who is on the right, first gained national attention during a 1996 appearance on the The Oprah Winfrey Show. The duo was born to Mike Hensel and Patty Hensel in 1990, and have two younger siblings, Morgan and Cody. During their conversation with Oprah Winfrey, the then-6-year-old sisters explained their dynamic, and how they're able to do some things separately—like sleep, eat, and, of course, talk (although they do tend to speak in unison, sometimes, too).
And as for when they disagree, the girls explained at the time, "We flip a coin."
Anatomically, Abby and Brittany are joined from the belly button down. Professor Nick Fisk, who followed the twins' case since their birth, explained in the 2007 documentary Extraordinary People: The Twins Who Share a Body that they each have their own heart, set of lungs, a stomach, and a kidney. However, they share a colon, rectum, reproductive organs and bladder. Their body temperatures are also separate—and Abby tends to run hotter than Brittany.
"It's so weird," Abby explained on Abby & Brittany, which ran for one season in 2012. "I get super hot way faster, and there's a distinct red line all the way down—legitimately—my legs are sweating, everything. It's awful, and she's fine."
The women operate one body together. Abby controls the right side and Brittany controls the left, meaning their coordination has always been highly in sync with one another. In fact, they were able to play basketball, softball and even got separate drivers licenses when they were 16 (Abby controls the pedals and gear shift, Brittany controls the blinker and the lights, and they both steer).
"We each had to take the test," they noted on their TLC series. "We both passed—obviously."
Other than their brief stint on reality television and documentaries, the sisters have maintained privacy in their native Minnesota, now living with Abby's husband Josh, and his 8-year-old daughter Isabella, while teaching fifth grade at an elementary school.
Although they are extremely close, and perform things like work and driving in unison, the twins and their loved ones have emphasized their desire to be treated as two separate people.
"We are totally different people," Brittany added in their 2007 documentary. "We usually bargain with each other like, ‘If you do this, I'll do that.' Or we take turns."
And Abby agreed, "We take turns a lot."
Read on to learn more about Abby and Brittany.
Origin / YouTube
Abby and Brittany’s Surprise Arrival
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."
A Singular Bond
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 Understand the Curiosity—To a Point
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.”
Abby’s Blended Family
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."
Their Foray Into Reality TV
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.
Life Outside the Spotlight
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.”
