Not everyone’s mistaken text message ends in a movie deal, but that’s exactly what happened for Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench from Arizona.
You may have seen the original story circulating: It’s a heart-warming tale of an unlikely friendship forged over the years, featuring loyalty, loss and lots of Thanksgiving sides.
It began in 2016, when Wanda Dench was sending invites to her family for Thanksgiving, including a number she thought belonged to her grandson. Unbeknownst to her, her grandson had changed his number, and instead, 17-year-old Jamal Hinton got the invite.
Hinton asked who was texting him, and Dench replied “your grandma” — and a hilarious series of messages followed where they sent headshots of themselves to each other, making it quite clear they were strangers.
This is year 6
Wanda & Jamal still celebrate Thanksgiving together after the mistaken 2016 text.
Today I sat down with them for a personal interview reflecting on the past, joy & loss, and what’s to come for the two of them.@Jamalhinton12 @wandadench https://t.co/rIF0s9a49T pic.twitter.com/BUPlzzqaG5
— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) November 25, 2021
They could have laughed it off and gone their separate ways, but Hinton took a chance.
“You not my grandma,” he wrote, according to “Today.” “Can I still get a plate tho.”
And the all-important response: “Of course you can. That’s what grandma’s do …feed every one.”
Every Thanksgiving since then, Hinton and his girlfriend have had a place at the Dench family table. This was their sixth year celebrating, though it was their second Thanksgiving without Lonnie, Wanda’s husband, who passed away after contracting COVID-19 last year.
Today marks our 6th Thanksgiving together? pic.twitter.com/6xas8EVsiM
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 25, 2021
Lonnie is still there in spirit. The group has made a tradition of taking a photo every year, and the last two years they have held up framed pictures of Lonnie during their annual photoshoot.
But after Thanksgiving this year, Netflix let the cat out of the bag with some big news about their story.
Just last week we were celebrating our 6th Thanksgiving with Jamal (@Jamalhinton12 ) and Grandma Wanda! And now we get to watch the story come to life as a family on Netflix! pic.twitter.com/FMvYu4EanW
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) December 2, 2021
“Just last week we were celebrating our 6th Thanksgiving with Jamal (@Jamalhinton12 ) and Grandma Wanda!” Netflix’s Strong Black Lead account tweeted. “And now we get to watch the story come to life as a family on Netflix!”
Hinton and Dench soon confirmed the news.
I am very excited to announce our new partnership with Netflix. We thank every single one of you for your love and support in our journey the last 6 years. We can’t wait to tell our story on the big screen! ?? pic.twitter.com/0heCmEWMDM
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) December 2, 2021
“I am very excited to announce our new partnership with Netflix,” Hinton tweeted on Thursday. “We thank every single one of you for your love and support in our journey the last 6 years. We can’t wait to tell our story on the big screen!”
The bond they have created over the years makes them more like family than friends, and hopefully, they will spend many more holidays together.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
