Kentucky sisters Danielle and Alexa Hendricks perform real life ‘Parent Trap’ to surprise their grandparents

Two sisters performed a real-life ‘Parent Trap’ on their grandparents – by pretending to be each other to see if they noticed. 

Danielle Hendricks, 26, and her little sister, Alexa, 23, surprised their grandparents, Shirley and Dan Carter, 84 and 85 respectively, for Thanksgiving.

Their grandparents knew Danielle was visiting but didn’t realize Alexa had also headed back to their hometown in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, from New York City – where both now live. 

To mirror the plot of the classic movie starring Lindsay Lohan – which sees her switch places with a twin sister – the pair swapped halfway through a conversation.

Danielle first entered the home and spoke to her grandparents before nipping out to the yard and swapping jackets with Alexa – who headed back into the house and started acting like her sister as part of the prank. 

But it didn’t take their eagle-eyed grandma long to notice that something was different.

Alexa tried not to make eye contact with her grandma – who she said would realize straight away – but was rumbled when Shirley “gasped” and both grandparents started crying tears of joy. 

Alexa, a content creator, from New York City, US, said: “I couldn’t even look my grandma in the eyes – I knew she would realize the moment she saw me.

“My grandma realized first, her mouth dropped and she gasped,” Alexa said. “My grandad saw Danielle at the other side of the room and didn’t realize I was standing there. They were surprised and confused – they both started crying. It was quite sweet.”

Growing up, Alexa says she and Danielle looked very different but as they have got older they look more alike.

“There is a three-year age gap between us so growing up we were pretty different,” Alexa said. “In our 20s, a lot of features have started to look the same and the red hair throws people off. We have definitely started to look more alike the older we have got.”

Alexa has always been close with her grandparents but after moving to New York City last year she only sees them during the holiday season.

The night before visiting them, she wanted to surprise them and decided to see if she could pull off the stunt and swap clothes with her sister.

“I really like surprising people, they didn’t think I was coming for Thanksgiving but they knew my sister was,” Alexa said. The night before I couldn’t sleep and I was thinking about how I could surprise them. I wondered how we could do a real life Parent Trap and that is what we did.”

Danielle and Alexa visited their grandparents on November 21, 2024.

But it wasn’t too long until Shirley realized something was different.

Alexa said: “I was in there for 40 seconds and my grandma picked up on it pretty quick.

“I knew my grandma would pick up on it, she is usually on top of those things,” Alexa said. “I figured that as soon as I started talking they would realize.”