What Are the Bella Twins Doing Now? All About Nikki and Brie Garcia's WWE Rise and Life After Wrestling

Nikki and Brie Garcia, formerly known as The Bella Twins, have been open books since they burst onto the WWE scene in 2008 with their “twin magic.”

After growing up in Arizona, the sisters moved to Los Angeles and were officially signed to the WWE as The Bella Twins in 2007. Since then, the siblings have made their mark in the wrestling brand's history as Divas Champions. In 2021, they were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which Nikki described as a dream come true.

Two years later, Nikki and Brie announced their departure from the organization and have gone on to work on different projects. After starring on their own reality TV show, Total Bellas, they have hosted a few, including Twin Love. The sisters have also continued working on The Nikki & Brie Show (formerly The Bellas podcast) and expanding their wine brand, Bonita Bonita.

All the while, Nikki and Brie have been each other's biggest support systems through the highs and lows. On Aug. 29, Nikki’s husband of two years, Dancing with the Stars pro Artem Chigvintsev, was arrested and booked on a charge of corporal injury to a spouse. Although it wasn’t explicitly confirmed, Nikki was presumed to be the spouse in question and a rep later confirmed to PEOPLE that she filed for divorce on Sept. 11.

Nearly one month after his arrest, the Napa County District Attorney announced that Chigvintsev would not face criminal charges on Sept. 24. A day prior, Brie gave an update on how her sister was doing amid her divorce during an episode of their podcast.

"Nikki isn’t here because, as you all know, she’s going through something personal in her life," she said. "But she sees all the support and love and we’re always grateful for all of your love and support, so thank you all for that.”

From their childhood to their WWE break and what they're doing today, here's everything to know about twins Nikki and Brie Garcia.

They grew up on a farm

Born Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace and Brianna Monique Garcia-Colace, Nikki and Brie were welcomed on Nov. 21, 1983, 16 minutes apart.

Before stepping into a ring and starring in Hollywood projects, the siblings grew up caring for animals on their family farm in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“We were raised with horses, cows, and chickens,” Brie told Muscle & Fitness. “We’d have to wake up before school and feed the animals, come home and feed the animals, and then go straight to soccer practice.”

She also recalled their mom, Kathy Colace Laurinaitis, keeping an eye on how they spent their free time.

"My mother was very strict about what we watched," Brie added. "We were lucky if we could watch 90210 or Saved by the Bell.”

Nikki was almost recruited for a professional soccer team in Italy

Speaking to Muscle & Fitness, Nikki and Brie revealed they both had a natural talent for soccer, with the former walking onto San Diego's Grossmont College team.

Nikki eventually helped them win the Pacific Coast Conference championship, according to the outlet. She was also named the MVP, Forbes reported.

Afterward, the older twin was approached by scouts who brought up the idea of taking her soccer skills internationally. “I was being recruited by a professional league in Italy,” Nikki said, who is of Italian and Mexican descent.

Although it was an exciting opportunity, Brie convinced Nikki to audition with her for the WWE Divas instead.

“When Brie started showing me what the women were doing at WWE, that’s my calling!" Nikki told Forbes in 2017. "I get to be athletic, and I get to entertain, and be larger than life and be this character. And I get paid for it? It was like God came down and said, ‘This is it!’ ”

They were initially rejected as WWE Divas

In a 2017 interview with Forbes, Nikki and Brie recounted moving to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue their dream of getting into a wrestling ring together — but it took time and effort.

The sisters only had one car, so they had to coordinate auditions while juggling their day jobs. Nikki and Brie worked waiting tables, modeling for brands and landing small acting gigs to pay their bills. Still, when the duo got the chance to participate in the 2006 WWE Divas Search contest, producers weren't interested in a twin act and passed on them.

Instead of accepting the rejection, Nikki and Brie asked for another opportunity and were officially signed to the organization in May 2007. “They flew us [to the developmental center] to see what we were like,” Brie told Muscle & Fitness. “Sure enough, we got into the ring and fell in love with it.”

Decades later, the siblings revealed that actor Freddie Prinze Jr. helped them break into the wrestling business by creating their epic storyline.

“He was a writer for WWE, and I feel like the writing team didn’t know exactly what to do with identical twins,” Brie said on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2020. "This was before social media existed, so the secret of being twins was something special."

She continued, “Freddie’s like, ‘We’re gonna have one debut, one hide under the ring, they’re gonna do a twin switch at the end of the match, and then the fresh twin under the ring wins the match, but we’re gonna trick the audience ... until we decide to debut the twins.’ Freddie came up with this genius idea that worked for months.”

They have wrestled each other

In 2014, Nikki and Brie were pitted against each other in a WWE storyline that saw Nikki turning on her sister at a SummerSlam event, claiming that Brie never cared about her and always stole her spotlight.

Their feud played out on the small screen, with both Jerry Springer and Stephanie McMahon getting involved. Brie eventually lost a Hell in a Cell match to Nikki, which led to her becoming Nikki’s personal assistant for a month. They “reconciled” when Brie helped her sister to defeat A.J. Lee in a 2014 Survivor Series match.

“It was a little hard [playing enemies] because Brie is so good at giving that sad face,” Nikki told Muscle & Fitness of their fictional rivalry. “When I was in the middle of the ring saying the most hurtful things, she was making me feel bad. I guess she was doing her job right!”

When asked if the storyline was difficult or cathartic in a Hot Ones special called “Truth or Dab,” Brie chose to bite a spicy wing rather than answer the question.

They welcomed babies less than 24 hours apart

Nikki gave birth to her first child, Matteo, on July 31, 2020 — only one day before Brie welcomed her second child, Buddy, on Aug. 1, 2020. (Brie also shares daughter Birdie Joe, born on May 9, 2017, with her husband Bryan Danielson.)

A few days later, Nikki posted about the happenstance on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “I can't believe Brie and I had boys less than 24 hours apart! ... I can't wait for our Bellas Boys to grow up together!"

The reality stars later spoke to PEOPLE about the special moment their sons met. Brie explained that their hospital rooms were next to each other, and Nikki stopped by late that night.

"It was really emotional to see ... [Nikki] holding a baby. I was like, 'What?! That's my sister,' " she recalled in August 2020. "We just sat on the bed, and she held Buddy, and I held Matteo, and we were just chatting."

Fast forward, in a July 2022 episode of their The Nikki & Brie Show podcast, they revealed their children had trouble telling them apart. Brie's son Buddy often confused them, calling Nikki "Mama" instead of her nickname "Dodo." But he would also call Brie "Dodo," and she would have to correct him.

According to the twins, there are several tricks to identifying them. “I have two beauty marks on my chest, and our faces are shaped differently," Brie told WWE Magazine in 2009. “We joke that I have more of a banana head, and Nikki has an apple head.”

In addition, the sisters have different body shapes. “I carry way more curves than Brie,” Nikki added.

They have overcome serious obstacles

Throughout their lives, Nikki and Brie have experienced different chapters together and leaned on each other during difficult periods.

The siblings opened up about some of their deepest and most personal struggles in their joint 2020 memoir, Incomparable. In the book, Nikki revealed that she had been raped twice as a teen.

"When that happened to me, I immediately just felt so ashamed and blamed myself, and that's what made me want to keep it such a secret," she told PEOPLE in 2020.

The entertainer revealed that she ultimately decided to share her experience to help other women. "You can overcome this. You can be strong, you can be empowering, you can be free of your past,” she said.

As for Brie, she detailed the loss of her high school boyfriend, Bear, who was killed in a car accident. “Death is such a profound thing that can happen to people,” she explained. “People come into your lives and they change you, and he did that. He changed me, spiritually.”

Of their shared pain, Brie later told PEOPLE, "It was crazy because you'll see from our perspectives, when life felt good. And then all of a sudden, we both, in our own personal lives, went through something really heavy and deep, but it got us to WWE."

More recently, Brie has been by Nikki's side after she filed for divorce from her husband of two years following the former Dancing with the Stars pro’s arrest on suspicion of domestic violence in August. The two sisters were spotted shopping for pumpkins in Napa Valley, Calif. together the same day Brie announced that Nikki would be taking a short break from their podcast.

In her divorce petition, Nikki requested legal and physical custody of their son Matteo, with Chigvintsev being allowed visitation rights. In response, Chigvintsev filed his own documents seeking joint legal and physical custody of Matteo as well as spousal support from Nikki.

After she filed for divorce, a rep for Garcia told PEOPLE that "she continues to ask for privacy for her and her family at this time."

They’re in the WWE Hall of Fame

In March 2021, Nikki and Brie were inducted into the prestigious WWE Hall of Fame.

"Dreams do come true,” Nikki captioned a photo of herself at the ceremony on Instagram. “Never give up. Believe in yourself. Stay fearless. Stay humble. And empower and inspire along the way #halloffame."

Brie shared similar sentiments on her Instagram Stories, writing, "Speechless. Grateful. Cloud nine. Are just some of the feelings I'm feeling!! So overwhelmed with emotions!!"

Nikki and Brie dropped their stage names in 2023

Nearly 16 years after joining the WWE as The Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie announced in March 2023 that they were dropping their stage names and embracing their roots.

"Today we are officially, from here on out, the Garcia Twins, Brie and Nikki Garcia," Nikki said in an episode of their podcast, The Nikki & Brie Show.

As Nikki explained, the decision, which came in the wake of their departure from the WWE, signaled a new chapter in their lives. “Let's see what Brie Garcia is going to do next," Brie added.

Since then, the twins have shifted their focus to several entrepreneurial endeavors, including taking their audio show on the road with live appearances. They also launched an offshoot of their podcast focused on Love Island USA commentary, Spill the Tea.

In addition, they expanded their wine brand Bonita Bonita with new releases and opened the Bonita Bonita Speakeasy Tasting Room in Nashville, Tenn.

On-screen, Nikki and Brie have teamed up to host the Amazon Prime Video reality dating series, Twin Love. In the same vein, Nikki's hosting duties on USA Network's game show Barmageddon continued for a second season.

“We’re in this place of reclaiming our power and making our own decisions," Nikki told PEOPLE in November 2023 about their time away from the ring.