Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton are still continuing their unlikely Thanksgiving tradition, seven years in.
The two best friends first met in November 2016, when Dench sent a text message to her 24-year-old grandson, inviting him over for Thanksgiving dinner. What she didn’t know, however, was that her grandson had changed his phone number – and Hinton, who was 17 at the time, had received her message.
After some initial confusion, the strangers sent selfies to each other, confirming their confusion. But when Hinton asked if he could still come over for dinner, Dench, now 65, texted back, “Sure. That’s what grandma does. …… Feeds everyone.”
The two eventually formed an unlikely friendship, and their story quickly became a viral one after it was shared online.
Last year, Hinton, now 23, announced that he and Dench were working with Netflix on a movie about their heartwarming holiday story.
Most importantly, neither of them let Thanksgiving pass without continuing their annual tradition of Hinton documenting each of Dench’s holiday gatherings at his Arizona home on his social media accounts.
On Tuesday, Hinton shared a photo of him and Dench on Instagram as the two stood outside the Cheesecake Factory restaurant.
People in 10/Jamal Hinton Wanda Dench (right) and Jamal Hinton
“To answer all your questions, yes, a 7th year of Thanksgiving is planned!” he wrote in the caption, which included turkey and black heart emojis.
“See you all on Thursday!” Hinton concluded.
The two also appeared in a taped segment on Wednesday’s Today show, where they both discussed the impact their relationship has had on their lives.
“He’s really changed my life and my perspective on the younger generation about being open to friendship when you think you have nothing in common with someone,” Dench said. “But when you just sit down and talk to them? Oh, my God. ……”
“Honestly, I don’t know where I would be sometimes,” Hinton said. “Its so great to have her as a friend and family member . We always talk about – I tell her, “The cameras and fame can stop tomorrow, nothing has changed between us.” “
“Of course,” Dench added. “He’s been in my heart all my life.”
The two don’t just talk about it at Thanksgiving, either. They stay in touch throughout the year, sharing dinners and talking on the phone.
Jamal Hinton/Twitter Jamal Hinton（Right）和 Wanda Dench
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Hinton took Dench to get her first tattoo and was present when Dench’s husband, Lonnie, got his tattoo, along with his girlfriend, Mikaela, who died in April 2020 after a battle with New Crown pneumonia.
“I heard wrestling at the front door and I opened it and saw Jamal and Mikaela throwing a bunch of food and presents and stuff,” Dench recalls.
“Whatever I was doing, she was a part of it, whatever it was,” Hinton said.
Next year’s Thanksgiving looks to be a little different, as Dench is retiring and planning to move a few hours away. But Hinton stresses he plans to drive to be with her again.
Until then, they’ll keep texting – even if that’s not Dench’s strong suit. “He loves to text me. But I always say, ‘Call me,'” she jokes.
“We’ll handle your text messages,” Hinton told her.