Latest news with #Twinnies
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Saturday Night Live takes aim at viral Australian 'Twinnies' in brutal skit - and fans Down Under are furious
Famed US comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) has sent fans into an uproar after they staged a skit mocking Aussie 'Twinnies' Bridgette and Paula Powers. 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?' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. '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.
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Beloved Aussie twins brutally mocked in US
Bridgette and Paula Powers from the Sunshine Coast have become internet sensations, thanks to their eerily synched interviews, devotion to doing everything together and passion for animal rescue. However the 51-year-old twins were brutally mocked in a recent episode of Saturday Night live (SNL), with the iconic American sketch comedy show taking aim at the Queensland sisters, affectionately known as the 'Twinnies'. The loveable Aussie duo captured global attention last month after an interview about their mother's carjacking went viral. Their synchronised storytelling, including the now-infamous line, 'Run he's got a gun,' went viral, spawning countless parodies. The SNL sketch, titled 'Weekend Update: Twins Bridgette and Paula on why Americans should move to Australia,' featured cast members Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman donning matching outfits, wigs and thick Aussie accents, to portray the Powers' sisters during a makeshift news interview. From the moment they appeared on screen, the mockery was ruthless. 'G'day Colin, it's so nice to be here in New York City,' the duo said in their exaggerated accents. The 'news presenter' played by Colin Jost laughed as he asked the twins why Americans should move to Australia. 'Australia is a gorgeous island nation and we have more Hemsworth than people,' they joked. 'I see, so you guys are basically the same person?,' said Jost. 'No, we're totally different, because her favourite food is Vegemite,' they said in unison. 'Wait, sorry, who likes Vegemite?,' Jost asked 'Her,' they said together as the crowd laughed. The short skit has amassed almost 2 million views in just one day, with many unimpressed Aussies flocking to the comments. 'As an Australian … They are doing it wrong,' said one viewer accompanied by an eyeroll emoji. 'Yeah no, the accent is not even close,' said another. 'How did they get this so wrong??,' critiqued a third. 'This is tasteless,' added a fourth. However, some were able to see the funnier side. 'As an Australian … I approve of this skit,' said one. 'They're more in sync than the original twins,' laughed another. 'These twins are always so entertaining! Their synchronised speaking is impressive and hilarious,' said a third. The Twinnies, founders of Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, are no strangers to fame. They first gained recognition after working closely alongside and being mentored by late wildlife legend Steve Irwin. The pair went viral in 2016 after appearing on Good Morning Britain where they spoke in unison during an interview with Piers Morgan, who couldn't stop laughing. 'This is one of the greatest interviews I've ever conducted in my life,' he declared at the time. They confessed that they in fact did not rehearse their speech and that speaking in unison was simply to do with how close they are. In a 2021 interview with ABC's Australia Story, the pair further admitted that they had never spent a day apart, saying 'When we're separated we don't feel complete.' 'Our brains must think alike at the same time,' they added. The two acknowledged that it is 'weird' to some and revealed they tried to alter the way they speak in the past. 'We do annoy a lot of people [but changing] doesn't feel right to us at all.'
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Birds of a Feather
Australian Story was updating its episode on identical twins Paula and Bridgette Powers when they became a global sensation due to an interview they gave about a carjacker. Because they speak in unison, parodies of them flooded the internet but the Twinnies are unfazed by the attention. Their life purpose is to rehabilitate seabirds at their sanctuary on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. But all that was under threat until a mystery benefactor came along. teaser Quirky identical twins Bridgette and Paula Powers were in the process of sharing some exciting news with Australian Story when they suddenly became a global sensation.
ABC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Behind the scenes with identical twins Paula and Bridgette Powers after carjacking interview
The words "Run, he's got a gun" reverberate in stereo from Paula and Bridgette Powers and, just like that, they're a viral sensation reaching all the way to Hollywood talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. The armed carjacking the identical twins are describing doesn't interest Kimmel, or the millions of people who watch the video of them detailing their mother's encounter with the gunman. What scores the sisters — known as the Twinnies — a spot on Kimmel's popular show is the way they relay the story. It's a mesmerising, double-barrelled delivery of the same words and sentences, often in sync, sometimes with a slight delay. Like much of the world, and a host of TikTok imitators, the acerbic funnyman is captivated. The Sunshine-Coast-based sisters have been in the spotlight before and know it comes and goes, as do the internet trolls who get thrills out of taunting them about who they are; incredibly close sisters who, at 51, still dress the same and speak as one. So, when the cameras move on, Paula and Bridgette get back to what they've devoted their lives to over the past 25 years. They work as an inseparable team, rescuing sick and injured pelicans and other seabirds, getting them well and releasing them into the wild. "[Going viral] has given awareness to the birds that we're caring for and the work we do with them," Paula and Bridgette tell Australian Story. "We're not going to ever, ever lose sight of that. We love our birds, and they need us. It's our passion." The publicity comes with sadness, though. The Twinnies only learnt after giving the interview that went viral that a woman had died during the carjacker's rampage. "We call it a tragic interview. We feel sorry for all the people involved," they say. Dealing with the double-edged nature of fame isn't easy but they have some stellar examples to draw on. People such as the late wildlife warrior Steve Irwin, television veterinarian Chris Brown, and the late ultramarathon folk hero Cliff Young have all been friends and collaborators with the Twinnies over the years, attracted by their commitment to wildlife. In recent years, a lesser-known Australian has come into their lives. He, too, was fascinated by the Twinnies and their work. Charmed, in fact. One day, they met for tea and biscuits. And their worlds changed. Peter Sherwood remembers seeing Paula and Bridgette on television about 20 years ago and being spellbound by the way they spoke. "It was charming. I liked it," he says. But Sherwood, who had switched careers from a lucrative industrial relations consultancy to Chinese medicine, was also taken by their passion for healing sick birds. He thought he would like to meet them. Fast-forward to 2022, and the Twinnies are back on television, telling of their worry that the Sunshine Coast property they rent with their parents, Helen and John, is about to go on the market. It's the place they built Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, a rambling facility that costs $75,000 a year just to power and provide bird feed. It's been largely funded by the family, with some government help and donations. "Their desperation was that, if they left, they could not afford to set up their place again," Sherwood says. Then he learned Paula — who, like Bridgette, has suffered ill-health since she was a baby — had collapsed, suffering a blood pressure spike after a vitriolic phone call from a woman accusing them of knowing nothing about birds and being scammers. He knew it was time to act. "I remember tears running down my face, thinking, 'Oh, this is terrible,'" says Sherwood, now 82. "Such lovely, innocent-appearing women being treated in this way." Sherwood organised to visit for a chat and to make a donation. He stayed for hours, sharing a packet of biscuits as Paula and Bridgette told him how they gravitated to working with seabirds after a stint at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. How the largely self-taught wildlife carers would field calls, day and night, and head out to rescue sick seabirds. How they'd reach into a pelican's beak and down to its gut to pull out a fishing hook, or lovingly tend to a smelly, lice-infested bird sick with botulism. Sherwood wrote a cheque for $5,000. "Helen gave it to the girls and the two girls looked at it and started to giggle. They smiled at me and they were giggling their appreciation," Sherwood says. "It was so lovely." He stayed another hour and shared another packet of biscuits. Then wrote another $5,000 cheque. "And the girls were giggling again." Finally, Sherwood left but his mind kept wandering back to the Twinnies. He could do more. He bought the acreage property for $1 million and told the family they could stay there for the rest of their lives. "Helen asked me, 'What about rent?'" Sherwood recalls. "I said, 'No, you're not paying rent. I'll pick up the rates and the insurance,' and she was in tears. She couldn't believe it." To Paula and Bridgette, Sherwood is now Saint Peter, a heralded benefactor whose photograph they proudly display at the rescue centre. "It was a blessing that Peter walked through the door to help us," they say. "We can't express and explain how we feel, what Peter has done for us. "It's too overwhelming." Much of the stress has gone from their lives, allowing them to concentrate on the birds. "It was just a big load off our shoulders," they say. "The birds have got a home for life … and we can continue our work as long as we can. Hopefully for another 20 years." Sherwood says he's learned a lot from the Twinnies about the power of love and devotion in healing. "I learned from them that you've just got to give love to everybody and take time," he says. "Don't rush it." The act of giving is its own reward, says the philanthropist, but over more tea and bikkies at the rescue centre recently, Sherwood told the Twinnies and Helen that he's gained a special bonus. He's made new friends. "I don't make friends very easily in life," Sherwood says. "I've got oodles of mates and thousands of acquaintances but I've only got a few friends in my life. And I think of you people as my friends. Do you think of me like that?" The Twinnies smile as one. "Oh yes, definitely," they say. "We show people when they're having a tour, we always show your face. And we go, Saint Peter is a great friend now. He's just like family to us." On a wander through their sanctuary filled with pelicans and a goose that thinks it's a swan, Paula and Bridgette are keeping an eye out for Rob. He's a special pelican that Australian Story viewers met during a program about the Twinnies four years ago. "There's Rob," they say. "There's Rob right there." Hearing his name, a tall, graceful pelican turns, looks directly at them and flaps his wings. Rob was a cold egg when they first met. Literally. The Twinnies rushed the egg to an incubator and hoped. They heard a chirp on the fifth day and, by the sixth, Rob was pecking through his egg. The hand-raised Rob is now almost five years old and free to leave any time he wants "but he's chosen to stay here for now", the Twinnies say. Perhaps, when it's breeding season, he'll take off but it's possible he'll stay "because he loves us too much". Chris Brown says Paula and Bridgette are "absolute pros" in their work with seabirds. "Where the Twinnies are incredibly valuable is the fact that they're so committed," he says. "A lot of the time … every single waking minute will be spent tending to that animal." The Twinnies estimate they rescue about 1,000 birds a year, caring for them with the help of volunteers. Some have botulism, many have hooks in their beaks or stomachs, and some, such as Graham the pelican, another star of the previous Australian Story episode, are clobbered over the head by angry fishermen. Incredibly, during filming for this episode, the Twinnies think they spy Graham on a power pole, back in the wild, fit and healthy, after having tended to his head wounds and broken beak for about 14 months. "A lot of people say, 'How can you tell because they've all got the same faces,'" they say. There'll be a Jimmy in their flock soon, named after a talk-show host who, like many before, has seen the Twinnies as a novelty act, a quirk of nature. A viral sensation. Ever since their interview went viral, the Twinnies have been inundated with offers to star in documentaries, reality television programs, comedies and commercials, and they're considering an offer from Kimmel to fly to Los Angeles to appear on his show. It's all very dizzying, but "it won't change us", the Twinnies say. That's just the type of response Sherwood would expect from his friends. "They live a frugal life. They're not interested in fame, or glory, or wealth," he says. "That doesn't come into their thinking. They just love the birds." The Twinnies know they won't be able to keep up the pace of constant caring forever. They have their own illnesses: osteoporosis, and heart and stomach issues. Some days, they admit, "we do feel like we're going to fall off our perch". So, they've hatched a plan for the future, one Saint Peter is right behind. If no-one suitable is found to take over the rescue centre, they'll knock everything down and turn it into wetlands "where birds can fly in and out and they'll be safe". "We'll probably be walking down, looking at the birds with our walking sticks, and even maybe Rob's still there," the Twinnies say, giggling. Watch Australian Story's Birds of a Feather, 8pm, on ABCTV and ABC iview.
News.com.au
26-04-2025
- News.com.au
Aussie twins captivated the internet for speaking in unison
When you get to know someone pretty well you could say you finish each other's sentences. For identical twins Paula and Bridgette Powers, that really is the case. The 51-year-old Sunshine Coast sisters went viral online after they were captured speaking in perfect unison during an interview in the aftermath of a violent carjacking on Monday. Dressed in matching blue scrubs with a rabbit pattern, the pair described how their mother went to help a bloodied man only to be confronted with the gun-wielding car thief. 'One guy, he was up there with our mum. He went up there and he was coming back down toward us,' one said, as the other finished her sister's sentences. 'And he goes 'run, he's got a gun!'' the sisters said at the exact same time. Their unique ability to speak in sync stunned viewers around the globe, along with their matching outfit and hairstyles. The pair said they have tried not to speak in unison, but it is impossible. 'We don't notice it ourselves when we're getting interviewed,' Bridgette told SBS News. 'There is a lot of negative comments on Facebook … because some people are saying, 'It's fake. How can you rehearse a conversation?' 'You can't. It's us, and we've tried not to talk together, and it's impossible.' It is also not the first time the sisters have been in the spotlight. In 2016, Paula and Bridgette appeared on Good Morning Britain, with former presenter Piers Morgan calling it 'one of the greatest interviews I have ever conducted in my life'. The pair also share a love for wildlife and have run the Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue in Landsborough for the last 25 years. Just a give-minute drive from Australia Zoo, the sanctuary rehabilitates seabirds and pelicans who've been injured in the wild. The sisters are hoping their viral moment can help raise funds for their lifelong passion. Funds will go towards mounting food bills and ongoing care costs, repairs to their ageing building and installing a disabled toilet for visitors. Paula and Bridgette called for answers from the Queensland Government in October last year after two birds, an eclectus parrot and an extremely rare white crow, were seized from their care. Officers from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) took Bonnie the parrot and Luca the crow from Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, claiming the sisters did not have approval to keep them. During a routine compliance check by DESI, the sisters were told they needed a permit for Bonnie and Luca was not on any 'species management' list. The Twinnies offered to get a licence for Bonnie and pay $900 for her back, and to pay for her shelter until that happened. Despite being promised the birds would not be euthanised, Paula and Bridgette told Daily Mail Australia they had learnt both had been killed in April 2024. Meanwhile Molly the Magpie, who was taken from her family and two canine companions due to a lack of permit, was returned to Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen following the intervention of Queensland Premier Steven Miles. The Powers were mentored by the late and great Steve Irwin, who was mesmerised by their intuition and understanding of animals.
