Saturday Night Live takes aim at viral Australian 'Twinnies' in brutal skit - and fans Down Under are furious
The 47-year-old Sunshine Coast identical twin sisters known for speaking in unison, became international sensations after they gave a word-for-word account of a fatal carjacking last month.
SNL cast members Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman performed in the scathing skit as the twins, complete with broad Aussie accents, costumes and makeup that parodied the sisters well known look.
In the sketch, which landed online this week, the Bridgette and Paula characters were asked 'why should Americans move to Australia?'
'Australia is a gorgeous island nation and we have more Hemsworths than people - that's a joke, don't write that down,' the 'Twins' replied in perfect synchronicity.
SNL cast member Colin Jost, who appeared in the skit as the news 'interviewer' asked, 'I see, so you guys are basically the same person?'
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'No, we're totally different, because her favourite food is Vegemite and I only date black guys, the 'Twins' replied.
The skit met with a grouchy response online from fans Down Under and in the US.
'Yeah no, the accent is not even close,' complained one Aussie viewer.
Added another viewer, 'Australian-American here. I don't get why this is funny.'
Said another bewildered fan, 'American here… neither do I!! I remember seeing them on Jimmy Kimmel and he was so respectful in their conversation. This is just mean.'
'That sounded more like a Jersey accent not Australian,' messaged one SNL viewer on the SNL Instagram share.
'It's not. Kind of offensive. Making fun of them is not cool,' replied another disgruntled viewer.
It comes after the mother of a pair of the twins has revealed the pair's struggle with ongoing health issues.
Their mother Helen explained earlier this month that the twins have faced difficulties since birth.
'I bought them home from the hospital and I thought there was something wrong, and in my heart, I knew they were different,' Helen told Australian Story on Monday.
'They never really sucked properly on a bottle, they used to scream a lot, they were floppy babies - they didn't sit up until they were about probably 15 months old.'
Their dad, John, said he and his wife could not figure out what was wrong, and neither did the doctors, despite countless visits to the hospital.
Bridgette and Paula were sent to a school that specialised in speech therapy before moving to a mainstream school.
However, the pair faced intense bullying from other students for their unique bond.
'High school was very, very hard for them. As they got older their heart problems started kicking in,' Helen said.
'A lot of girls used to give them a hard time about not having boyfriends, asking if they were having it off with one another.'
The beloved set of twins, who wear matching clothes every day and sleep in the same room, found their purpose once they left school in year 10 and moved to the Sunshine Coast.
Their love for wildlife flourished and they were even hired by the late Steve Irwin to work at his Australia Zoo after he saw them in action during their first wildlife rescue.
They have since been running the Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue for 25 years and are renowned across Queensland for their wildlife volunteer work.
The pair suffer from osteoporosis, heart and stomach issues and have acknowledged their health problems will eventually force them to give up their wildlife rescue.
Bridgette and Paula sparked worldwide interest on April 23 after they gave an interview about an attempted carjacking of their mother.
Dressed in matching Easter outfits, the sisters recounted the terrifying moment their mother came face-to-face with an alleged gunman.
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