© 2026 ABC News

​​\"It's become a huge part of our lives,\" Hinton told \"Good Morning America\" in 2020. \"It's great being part of something so loving and having people around the world to talk to us and being touched by our story.\"

It all started when Dench sent a text inviting who she believed to be her grandson to Thanksgiving dinner. It turned out she texted Hinton, then 17, instead.

Somebody grandma is coming in clutch this year!! Ayee!!! pic.twitter.com/QGrx83nHLl

— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 15, 2016

Hinton replied, asking for a photo to confirm whether it was actually his grandmother behind the text. A picture came of a woman with blonde hair and glasses who was not his grandma. He sent a picture of himself to her, along with a laughing emoji and wrote, \"You not my grandma. Can I still get a plate tho?\"

Dench responded, \"Of course you can,\" and Hinton joined the Dench family for a Thanksgiving feast. The exchange became a heartwarming viral moment online and marked the beginning of a long-standing friendship for the two.

As a part of the tradition, Hinton tweets a photo of himself with his \"second family\" enjoying Thanksgiving together every year.

Despite Dench's husband, Lonnie Dench, dying from complications of COVID-19 in April 2020, the families kept the tradition going.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Family/grandma-man-accidentally-texted-reunite-6th-thanksgiving/story?id=81371059","legacySlug":"/family/story/grandma-man-accidentally-texted-reunite-6th-thanksgiving-81371059","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"21:14","publishDate":"11-24-2021","updatedTime":"21:59","updatedDate":"11-24-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Two families who have been sharing Thanksgiving dinner together after an accidental text message in 2016, are revealing their holiday plans amid the pandemic. The tradition began when Wanda Dench of Mesa, Arizona, now 63, thought she was texting her grandson to invite him to Thanksgiving when she actually texted Jamal Hinton, now 21.","credit":"Jamal Hinton","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/teen-grandma-thanksgiving-ht-MAIN-np-201120_1605888426835_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"11/24/2021 21:14:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":81371059,"headline":"Mistaken text leads to Thanksgiving tradition","mediaAssetTitle":"GRANDMA STRANGER THANKSGIVING 2021","description":"Jamal Hinton said he is \"all set for year 6\" of Thanksgiving with the Denches.","duration":"1:18","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211115_gma_thanksgiving_btn_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["136522197","136167797","136138471"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"September 17, 2026","headline":"Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","section":"News","slug":"/video/136522197","id":"136522197","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Travis Kelce victimized by Ponzi scheme, prosecutor says","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260917_gma_katersky1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"September 3, 2026","headline":"Staffer injured, gunman dead in shooting at VA elementary school ","section":"News","slug":"/video/136167797","id":"136167797","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Thomas VA. Shooting","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Thomas VA. Shooting","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260903_gma_thomas_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"September 2, 2026","headline":"US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","section":"News","slug":"/video/136138471","id":"136138471","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new strikes on Iran amid gas price crunch for Labor Day","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260902_gma_bruce_iran3_706_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Mistaken text leads to Thanksgiving tradition","description":"Jamal Hinton said he is \"all set for year 6\" of Thanksgiving with the Denches.","duration":"1:18","uploadDate":"11-24-2021","publication":"11-24-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211115_gma_thanksgiving_btn_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/11/211115_gma_thanksgiving_btn_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/grandma-man-accidentally-texted-reunite-6th-thanksgiving-81371059"}},"playlist":[{"id":"136553132","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136553226","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136557362","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136480407","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136499152","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136340119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136351654","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136345786","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136309285","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136312798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136301180","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136298965","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136281904","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136272199","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136258585","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136253720","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136206646","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136207221","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136153308","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"136187449","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:family:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"family","title":"Mistaken text leads to Thanksgiving tradition","pubTime":"16:14","pubDate":"11-24-2021","modTime":"16:59","modDate":"11-24-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":81371059,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"Caterina Andreano","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Mistaken text leads to Thanksgiving tradition","mediaAssetTitle":"GRANDMA STRANGER THANKSGIVING 2021","videoId":81371059,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/family/story/grandma-man-accidentally-texted-reunite-6th-thanksgiving-81371059"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/81371059","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/81371059","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};