Why 'Thanksgiving Grandma' and Jamal Hinton Are Marking Year 9 Differently After Accidental Text Brought Them Together

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Jamal Hinton Instagram

The famous ‘Thanksgiving Grandma’Wanda DenchandJamal Hintonare on their 9th year together!Theviral Thanksgiving storythat has warmed hearts since 2016 once again took place as strangers-turned-friends celebrated the holiday on Nov. 28. This year, however, things looked a little different following Dench’sbreast cancerdiagnosis, sherevealed to CNN.“I just recently finished up with chemotherapy, so I’m not 100 percent yet,” Dench, 67, told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Thanksgiving morning. “And I live about two hours away from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year would be best for my health if I stayed at home.”“We will FaceTime with each other,” she added. “I was looking so forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everybody, but we have to accept things the way they are, and I’m sure next year is going to be so much better.”This Thanksgiving is notably special given Dench’s diagnosis. On Oct. 16, Hinton, 25, shared a message from Dench announcing the newsin a post on X(formerly known as Twitter).Dench wrote that after undergoing a CT scan of her lungs, a mass was discovered in her breast when she underwent a CT scan of her lungs. “Cancer does not run in my family," she wrote, sharing that all her previous mammograms had always been negative.Fortunately, Dench said that her friends and family “quickly came to my aid and have supported me through everything.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.She also said that she didn’t plan on letting her diagnosis change anything about her annual tradition with Hinton.Their story began in 2016, when Hinton, then 17, received a text message from an unknown number.“The text said, ‘Thanksgiving at my house’ and it was from a grandma, but I was like, ‘When did my grandma learn to text!?’ So I asked her for a picture and it definitely was not my grandma,” Hintontold PEOPLE at the time.Wanda Dench.Jamal Hinton/X.comHinton then jokingly responded to Dench’s text, writing, “Can I still get a plate tho?” — and she replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone.“And just like that, a friendship was born.“It was so unexpected, but she was just so sweet about it. It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world,” Hinton told PEOPLE.Throughout the years, others have joined the annual celebration, such as in 2021 when Hinton brought his girlfriend, although others have sadly left the table, likeDench’s husband Lonnie, who died in 2020due to COVID-19.Ahead of their 2023 Thanksgiving celebration, Dench and Hinton spoke about their heartwarming bond in an interview withToday. “He’s in my heart for life,” Dench said of Hinton, who added, “It’s amazing to have her as a friend and as my family.”

The famous ‘Thanksgiving Grandma’Wanda DenchandJamal Hintonare on their 9th year together!

Theviral Thanksgiving storythat has warmed hearts since 2016 once again took place as strangers-turned-friends celebrated the holiday on Nov. 28. This year, however, things looked a little different following Dench’sbreast cancerdiagnosis, sherevealed to CNN.

“I just recently finished up with chemotherapy, so I’m not 100 percent yet,” Dench, 67, told CNN’s Jim Acosta on Thanksgiving morning. “And I live about two hours away from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year would be best for my health if I stayed at home.”

“We will FaceTime with each other,” she added. “I was looking so forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everybody, but we have to accept things the way they are, and I’m sure next year is going to be so much better.”

This Thanksgiving is notably special given Dench’s diagnosis. On Oct. 16, Hinton, 25, shared a message from Dench announcing the newsin a post on X(formerly known as Twitter).

Dench wrote that after undergoing a CT scan of her lungs, a mass was discovered in her breast when she underwent a CT scan of her lungs. “Cancer does not run in my family,” she wrote, sharing that all her previous mammograms had always been negative.

Fortunately, Dench said that her friends and family “quickly came to my aid and have supported me through everything.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She also said that she didn’t plan on letting her diagnosis change anything about her annual tradition with Hinton.

Their story began in 2016, when Hinton, then 17, received a text message from an unknown number.

“The text said, ‘Thanksgiving at my house’ and it was from a grandma, but I was like, ‘When did my grandma learn to text!?’ So I asked her for a picture and it definitely was not my grandma,” Hintontold PEOPLE at the time.

Wanda Dench.Jamal Hinton/X.com

Jamal Hinton/X.com

Hinton then jokingly responded to Dench’s text, writing, “Can I still get a plate tho?” — and she replied, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone."

And just like that, a friendship was born.

“It was so unexpected, but she was just so sweet about it. It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world,” Hinton told PEOPLE.

Throughout the years, others have joined the annual celebration, such as in 2021 when Hinton brought his girlfriend, although others have sadly left the table, likeDench’s husband Lonnie, who died in 2020due to COVID-19.

Ahead of their 2023 Thanksgiving celebration, Dench and Hinton spoke about their heartwarming bond in an interview withToday. “He’s in my heart for life,” Dench said of Hinton, who added, “It’s amazing to have her as a friend and as my family.”

source: people.com