The Surprising Names That Appear on Abby Hensel’s Wedding Certificate While Brittany’s Does Not

The marriage certificate filed after Abby Hensel’s November 13, 2021, wedding to Josh Bowling at the Jerome Event Center in Delano, Minnesota, names Morgan Hensel and Cosmo Naut as the two witnesses required under state law. The document, reported in detail by TMZ in April 2024, also records that Reverend Sid A. Veenstra officiated and that Abby adopted the surname Bowling. Brittany Hensel is absent from the witness section. The twins were born March 7, 1990, and have been known publicly since their 1996 appearance on Oprah. Each has her own brain, heart, lungs, and stomach; they share everything from the waist down, including reproductive organs and a bloodstream. Abby directs the right arm and leg while Brittany directs the left. Their parents declined separation surgery after being told both were unlikely to survive.

Minnesota Statutes section 517.09 and 517.10 require that both parties declare their intent in the presence of an authorized officiant and at least two witnesses aged sixteen or older, and that those witnesses sign the certificate. The couple met the requirement by having Morgan and Cosmo Naut sign. Cosmo Naut has been interpreted by many observers as either a family nickname or a reference to a pet, though the certificate itself simply records the name. The marriage stayed out of public view until March 2024, when Today published the records and social media users found pH๏τographs and a dance video. Abby and Brittany posted a brief acknowledgment of the attention. Josh Bowling, an Army veteran and nurse, has one daughter from his prior marriage. The twins continue to teach in Minnesota. Selected wedding pH๏τos were later shared, and in 2025 images of them with a newborn led to widespread speculation. Bowling clarified that certain TikTok accounts were not genuine and that the family had issued no confirmation of a baby. The certificate thus provides the precise legal record of the witnesses chosen for the ceremony, illustrating how the family navigated the formal requirements of marriage while living with the constant physical presence of both sisters.

County records establish that Abby Hensel and Josh Bowling were married on November 13, 2021, at the Jerome Event Center in Delano, Minnesota, with Reverend Sid A. Veenstra officiating. The marriage certificate lists Morgan Hensel and Cosmo Naut as the witnesses and shows that Abby changed her name to Bowling. Brittany Hensel’s name is not included. The document became widely known after TMZ reported its contents in April 2024, following Today’s earlier confirmation of the marriage. Under Minnesota law the certificate must be signed by the officiant, the parties, and at least two witnesses who were present and are at least sixteen years old; the statute does not require additional signatures from other people who may have been in attendance.

The family therefore designated Morgan and Cosmo Naut to meet the legal threshold. The twins, born in 1990, are dicephalic parapagus conjoined twins who have shared a body and bloodstream their entire lives. They gained early public attention on Oprah, later appeared in documentaries and a 2012 TLC series, and have worked as teachers in Minnesota since graduating from Bethel University. Josh Bowling served as a U.S. Army health specialist with deployments overseas before becoming a nurse; he has a daughter, Isabella, from a previous marriage. After the 2024 disclosure the twins responded briefly on social media about the volume of attention. Limited wedding images were subsequently shared. In 2025, pH๏τographs of the twins carrying a newborn in Minnesota circulated, prompting further speculation that Bowling addressed by stating that certain online accounts were not authentic and that no official confirmation had been given. The marriage certificate remains the definitive public record of the formal witnesses chosen for the 2021 ceremony, documenting the legal boundaries of Abby’s marriage while the sisters continued their shared daily life.