Photo via @Jamalhinton12/Twitter
November 16, 2021, 2:10 pm
The pair who became an internet sensation in 2016 after they ended up spending Thanksgiving together following a text mix-up are celebrating their sixth year in a row of sharing a seat at the same table for the holiday. Wanda Dench, 64, met then-17-year-old Jamal Hinton after mistakenly texting him an invite to Thanksgiving dinner, thinking that his phone number belonged to her grandson. Instead of ignoring the text, Hinton responded and ended up attending her dinner.
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The unlikely pair became fast friends and are now ready to spend their sixth Thanksgiving together.
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“We are all set for year 6!” Hinton tweeted along with a screenshot of the text from Dench inviting him and his family to dinner this year.
Dench’s invite alone, to Hinton and his entire family, is off-the-charts adorable.
“It would bring me great joy if you, Mikaela and your family would come to my house on Thanksgiving to share good food and great conversation. Your friend always, Wanda.”
Dench and Hinton’s story has endured over the years as a heartwarming tale of how friendship can blossom anywhere at any time and between any two people, no matter how different they may seem from one another on the surface. Most people wouldn’t expect a friendship to emerge between a white grandmother and a Black teenager, but six years later, they still adore each other.
Hinton originally responded to Dench’s wrong-number text in a joking manner, asking for a photo of Dench when she said she was his grandma. He replied to her photo with one of his own, saying that she was not his grandma but asking if he could “get a plate” anyway.
“Of course you can,” Dench replied. “That’s what grandma’s do…feed every one [sic].”
That simple interaction cemented a six-year friendship that extended to their families, with Dench regularly inviting Hinton’s girlfriend and other family members to enjoy the holiday with her husband and family. That first year, when Hinton showed up at Dench’s door on Thanksgiving day, she immediately hugged him. Every year since, the pair has posted selfies on social media together on the holiday to the delight of their many followers.
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In 2020, they got together in spite of the pandemic, though unfortunately minus Dench’s husband Lonnie, who passed away from COVID-19 earlier in the year. Together, they paid tribute to Lonnie and celebrated his memory.
“I always remember Lonnie looking at the bright side of things,” Hinton said to the New York Times. “He would want us to celebrate his life instead of hating COVID and hating everything.”
This year, as always, people are melting over how sweet the friendship is between these two.
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We all loved this story and still love the love they’re showing! RIP Lonnie is trending because Grandma Wanda’s husband Lonnie sadly passed away before Thanksgiving 2020. Much love to Jamal and Grandma Wanda!
https://t.co/QXeVn5bv3J
— Toi Thornton (@toitravthorntv) November 15, 2021
*First Published: November 16, 2021, 2:10 pm
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