A beloved Thanksgiving tradition continues, and one of our favorite internet duos is celebrating.
This upcoming holiday will mark the 10th for Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench, who first met in 2016 after she accidentally texted him an invitation to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
Since their first feast together, social media users have tapped in every year to see if the two have maintained their friendship. While the pair have shared plenty of joyful moments, they’ve also been a source of comfort for each other in tougher times.
Back in 2020, Dench’s husband, Lonnie, died from health complications early in the pandemic. “Lonnie was missing this year, and he was a big part of the Thanksgiving story and a big part of our lives," Hinton said in a statement to CNN at the time. "But that’s one thing Wanda and I know for sure. Lonnie would have been very angry if we didn’t have Thanksgiving together."
When Dench was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, she and Hinton couldn’t meet in person while she underwent chemotherapy, so they kept their Thanksgiving tradition alive over a video call instead.
Filling up on turkey aside, the pair have stayed close beyond the holiday table. In September 2022, Dench got her first tattoo with Hinton by her side. "I got three shooting stars," she posted on X at the time. "Each one represents my Guardian Angels in Heaven - my husband who stands for integrity, my mother who was courageous, and my father who was about unconditional Love."
The two also announced that Netflix is developing a film based on their unlikely friendship, titled The Thanksgiving Text.
The project was first revealed in 2021, with the streaming giant confirming plans to turn their viral story into a feature film. The movie is set to follow how one wrong-number text in 2016 led to a friendship that’s lasted nearly a decade and captured hearts around the world.
