‘Thanksgiving Grandma’ reunites with wrong friend for 9th year

On November 28, 2024By Pranco

“Thanksgiving Grandma Wanda Dench” and Jamal Hinton plan to celebrate the holiday together for the ninth year in a row.

“I’m looking forward to a day full of good food, good company and lasting memories,” Jamal said in a post on X.

The pair accidentally connected in 2016 after Dench sent a Thanksgiving dinner invitation to the wrong number. Hinton, who was 17 years old at the time, responded and said he would like to visit. Hinton and Dench have met every Thanksgiving since and developed a lasting bond that has captured the nation’s attention every holiday season.

In 2021, Netflix announced it would make a film inspired by the story of Hinton and Dench’s unlikely friendship. The planned title for the film was revealed as ‘The Thanksgiving Text’.

Like any friendship that has lasted nearly a decade, the pair have been there for each other through life’s challenges. They weathered the pandemic together as friends, and Hinton was there for Dench when her husband died in 2021. And this year, Hinton shared a message from Dench, who revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite everything, she has tried to stay positive.

“I have learned many life lessons through all of this, but what I want to emphasize most is that because you may be older, we still have a life to live,” she wrote.