Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton Spend 6th Thanksgiving Dinner Together

Grandma Who Accidentally Texted a Random Teen Is Now Spending Her 6th Thanksgiving With Him

By Arnesia Young on November 17, 2021

Wanda Dench Invites Jamal Hinton To Thanksgiving Dinner for the 6th Year in a Row

Photo: Jamal Hinton via Twitter

If there’s one thing to be thankful for this year, it’s the lasting relationships that bring joy to our lives—even if that relationship is one we only experience vicariously through the internet. The friendship between 21-year-old Jamal Hinton and 64-year-old Wanda Dench has warmed people’s hearts ever since their first accidental introduction went viral back in 2016. And now they’ll be spending their sixth Thanksgiving together.

It all started when Dench—later dubbed “Thanksgiving Grandma”—mistakenly texted Hinton an invite to Thanksgiving dinner at her home. She thought that she was texting her grandson. Then just 17, Hinton responded in good humor, “You not my grandma…can I still get a plate tho?” Not missing a beat, Dench replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do…feed everyone.” And, despite living almost an hour apart, the two actually did share a meal together on Thanksgiving day. Continuing the tradition, the two have spent the holiday together every year since and have formed a lifelong friendship in the process.

On November 14, Hinton took to Twitter to confirm the pair’s sixth consecutive Thanksgiving together. He posted a screenshot of Dench’s text invitation—this time actually intended for him—which reads, “It would bring me great joy if you, Mikaela [Hinton’s girlfriend] and your family would come to my house on Thanksgiving day to share good food and great conversation. Your friend always, Wanda.” Of course, Hinton excitedly accepted the warm invitation from Dench, who he has in his phone as “Grandma Wanda.”

This year’s gathering will likely be twinged with lingering sadness as Dench’s husband, Lonnie, who passed away in April 2020 due to complications from COVID-19, won’t be there to join them for the festivities. The pair shared last year’s Thanksgiving dinner in his honor. Though unlikely, Dench and Hinton’s friendship has been real and lasting. “He’s changed my life a lot,” Dench confirms. And with the bond that the two have formed over the years, hopefully, their heartwarming Thanksgiving tradition will continue for many more to come. The internet certainly hopes so.