Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Thanksgiving Grandma' Who Accidentally Texted Stranger Spends 8th Holiday With Him

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench
@Jamalhinton12/X

Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, along with a special Airbnb guest, spent their 8th Thanksgiving together after Dench sent a viral text in 2016 to Hinton mistakenly thinking he was her grandson.

One of our favorite Thanksgiving tradition continues...

No, it's not waking up early to catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade or Googling "how to stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving this year." It's not even the food or football.


It's the annual Thanksgiving reunion of two strangers who found each other through an accidental text eight years ago.

In 2016, Wanda Dench thought she'd sent a text to her grandson inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. The message, however, was actually sent to Jamal Hinton, an absolute stranger, who let Dench know she texted the wrong number.

He jokingly added:

"Can I still get a plate tho?"

And the rest is history.

Hinton did attend Dench's—a.k.a. "Thanksgiving Grandma's"—holiday dinner that year, as well as every Thanksgiving after that.

This year marks their eighth anniversary, and it seems as though this one was as lovely as the rest.

Hinton took to X to share a photo of the annual get together, this time joined by an Airbnb guest.

Hinton and Dench also collaborated on an Instagram post featuring their "year 8 selfie."

They also thanked their Airbnb guest Arseni in the caption:

"Our year 8 selfie 🧡 Thanks for staying with us, Arseni, and for being part of the good in the world this holiday season #airbnbpartner"

Dench and Hinton partnered with Airbnb for a special promotion celebrating their anniversary by pricing a one-night stay for two guests at just $16, a nod to the year they met.

They wrote on Instagram ahead of the holiday:

"To celebrate our eighth Thanksgiving together (yes, eight!), we’re partnering with @airbnb this year to host a couple extra seats at our table 🦃."

People on social media are still as smitten with this story as they were in 2016.













Earlier this month, Hinton told PEOPLE that he loves sharing his story with others.

“It's always amazing to meet someone and talk to them for a couple minutes when you're out, or if anyone recognizes me from a Thanksgiving story or anything like that."
“But to be able to sit down and actually talk to them for a full day, and especially sometimes with no media around or to really just get to know each other, I think that that's going to be a beautiful friendship that can continue for years, kind of like me and Wanda."

It is a beautiful story—and we're officially counting down the days until next Thanksgiving.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Molly Ringwald; Donald Trump
@mollyringwald/Instagram; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Molly Ringwald Urges Fans To Speak Out Against ICE And 'Fascist' Trump In Powerful Video

Actor Molly Ringwald—best known for her roles as a member of the "Brat Pack" in films like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club—denounced President Donald Trump and ICE, telling fans she "can’t stay silent and neither should you."

Ringwald, speaking out mere days after ICE agents murdered ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, told her followers in a post on Instagram that she had previously "been so proud to be an American but right now this is a fascist government.”

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Liam Conejo Ramos receiving pilot wings
@johnquinones/Instagram

5-Year-Old Boy Abducted By ICE Gets Wings From Pilot On Flight Home To Minneapolis In Sweet Viral Video

5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was taken to an ICE detention facility in Texas along with his father, finally returned home to Minneapolis on Sunday and received his pilot wings thanks to Delta Air Lines pilots on the flight from San Antonio.

Ramos and his father were abducted by ICE agents on their way home from preschool in the Minneapolis area last month; Ramos is the fourth student from the Columbia Heights School District to be swept up in the Trump administration's nationwide immigration crackdown.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Carlson in pink jacket and Carlson from interview
MPR News

Woman In Pink Jacket Who Filmed Alex Pretti's Murder Speaks Out In Emotional Interview

Stella Carlson, better known online as the "woman in the pink jacket" who recorded the murder of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis, is urging Americans not to let ICE "intimidate" them.

Calls for an investigation have intensified from across the political spectrum after analysis of multiple videos showed ICE officers removing a handgun from Pretti—a weapon that authorities said Pretti was permitted to carry but was not handling at the time—before fatally shooting him.

Keep Reading Show less
A photo of purse with "See you later" and a waving hand
Photo by Junseong Lee on Unsplash

People Break Down The Real Reason They Stopped Liking Someone But Never Told Them

Not every relationship is a forever deal.

Sometimes it's best to just let people go.

Keep Reading Show less
Jordin Sparks; Halle Berry
Gary Gershoff/Getty Images; Kate Green/Amazon MGM Studios/Sony Pictures Entertainment/Getty Images

Fans Defend Jordin Sparks After She Publicly Asks Halle Berry To Read Her Screenplay About Menopause

You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don't take, and singer Jordin Sparks put that philosophy into action at the end of January.

Halle Berry has been a household name in Hollywood for the last few decades, and now in the middle of her life, she's loudly advocating for increased representation and awareness around women's health and women's experiences, especially what happens to a woman's body during perimenopause and menopause.

Keep Reading Show less