It is the most wonderful — and most confusing — time of the year for Cole Sprouse. Every time the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show rolls around, the actor’s phone lights up with tags meant for someone else entirely: his Identical Twin brother, Dylan.
On Tuesday, October 20, Cole, 34, finally addressed the annual mix-up with a selfie on Instagram Stories and a caption that said it all: “It’s that time of year again where I get tagged in Victoria’s Secret content cause people still don’t know who married Barbara.”
(Casey “Poppins” Nedelka / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))The Mix-Up That Never Ends
The confusion is understandable — up to a point. Cole and Dylan Sprouse are identical twins who grew up sharing the screen, and to the casual observer, they remain remarkably alike. But as Cole’s exasperated post made clear, there is one rather significant difference between them: Dylan, 34, is the one married to supermodel Barbara Palvin.
Dylan and Palvin tied the knot in July 2023, and the model’s history with the lingerie giant runs deep. Palvin, 33, made her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut in 2012, became an official VS Angel in 2019, and walked the show in both 2024 and 2025. This year’s edition — the VS Fashion Show 2026, held Sunday, October 18 — was always going to be her most talked-about appearance yet.
A Runway Return Weeks After Motherhood
Palvin took the runway just three weeks after she and Dylan announced the arrival of their baby girl on September 28. The couple had revealed the pregnancy back in May at the Cannes Film Festival, and hinted in their announcement post that their daughter arrived three weeks earlier — seemingly on Labor Day, September 7 — writing, “We took Labor Day literally this year.”
For the show, Palvin wore a romantic sheer pink negligee covered in script writing, paired with a bouncy blowout and rosy makeup. Dylan cheered her on from the front row — and even blew her a kiss as she passed, a moment that instantly became one of the night’s most-shared images.
(Yvan Fabing / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0))“Not That Big of a Deal” — And Very Empowering
Backstage ahead of the show, Palvin was characteristically unfazed about the timeline. “I’m going to be six weeks postpartum tomorrow, which is, I think in the U.S., most people have to go back after six weeks. So it’s not that big of a deal,” she told PEOPLE. “I’m feeling great. I think it’s very empowering that the Victoria’s Secret team is having me at the show and we’re supporting women.”
The new mom described the first weeks of motherhood as a “roller coaster” as she and Dylan learned the ropes of parenting — and gushed that her husband was always meant to be a “girl dad.” It is the kind of Empowering Moment the brand has been leaning into as it continues its post-hiatus reinvention, and Palvin — an Angel Wings veteran — carried it with ease.
Cole’s Very Specific Uncle Plans
As for Cole, the Mistaken Identity saga has not dampened his enthusiasm for his new role. In the months leading up to the birth, he told CBS Mornings exactly what kind of uncle he plans to be — treating his niece the way he treats his godchildren. “I have a couple godkids too, and I’m always getting them like, swords and drum kits,” he said. “I’m going to be a really annoying brother, specifically.”
It is a perfect Cole response: funny, self-aware, and just chaotic enough to be believable. The Twin Brothers may get mixed up by the internet every October, but there is no confusing Cole’s affection for his brother’s growing family.
(Martin Kraft / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0))The Night Belonged to Barbara
Strip away the twin jokes, and the real story of the evening was Palvin herself. Walking a major lingerie runway six weeks after giving birth is a statement — about the brand, about the industry, and about what audiences now expect from the women on that stage. Palvin has been part of the Victoria’s Secret story since 2012, through its Angels heyday, its hiatus years, and its current reinvention, and her return as a new mother felt like a deliberate full-circle moment.
Dylan’s front-row presence completed the picture. The couple, who kept much of the pregnancy private before the Cannes reveal, have settled into public parenthood with an ease that fans have loved watching — the blown kiss included. It was sweet, it was photogenic, and it was beamed around the world within minutes.
An Annual Tradition
Cole’s Viral Caption has now become something of an Annual Fashion Show tradition in its own right — as reliable as the Social Media Mix-Up itself. Every year, the tags roll in; every year, Cole reminds everyone which twin married the supermodel. And every year, the internet promptly forgets again.
The tags will keep coming, the clarifications will keep flowing, and Dylan will keep being the one married to Barbara. Honestly? At this point, the mix-up might be the most enduring Sprouse brothers tradition of all — right up there with the front-row kiss that started it all. See you again next October, internet.