Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton

Wrong Thanksgiving Text Lives On; Jamal Hinton And Wanda Dench Compete On 'The Cube'

Home / Blasting Off / Wrong Thanksgiving Text Lives On; Jamal Hinton And Wanda Dench Compete On 'The Cube'

By Melanie VanDerveer on May 23, 2023 at 9:00 PM EDT

One wrong text in 2016 brought two families together and new Thanksgiving traditions were born.

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench's unlikely relationship began when Dench accidentally texted the wrong number thinking she was inviting her grandson to Thanksgiving dinner, but instead texted Hinton, who was just a teenager at the time. And so their heartwarming story began. Now fast forward to present day, and the two are competing on "The Cube" to win $250,000.

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Jamal Hinton And Wanda Dench Filmed An Episode Of "The Cube" With Dwyane Wade

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench with Dwyane Wade on "The Cube"
Jamal Hinton - Instagram

Hinton announced the exciting news on his Instagram page with a carousel of photos captioned, "If y'all haven't heard about THE CUBE it's definitely a must watch! Action, comedy, laughs, and so much fun! I had the pleasure of being a part of this experience and can't wait for you all to see it. Thank you to Dwyane Wade and all of the production team. Make sure you guys tune in June 4th only on TBS."

Photos tell the story of filming the episode and give people who have been following their story for years happy feels that the two are still in communication and enjoying life together.

"I love this ❤️❤️❤️ your guys story is still one of my all time favorite stories," one person wrote in the comment section of the post.

"Always happy when you post! This is simply beautiful," wrote another.

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Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench
Jamal Hinton - Instagram
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And the happy sentiments didn't stop there. Many others shared their thoughts about the relationship that grew from one wrong text message years ago.

"This relationship is best thing I’ve seen come from the internet," one person said. Another added, "Thank you for letting us be a part of the family. ❤️❤️❤️ signed All of your internet cousins. PS. Wanda is our Grandma too 😂❤️."

Hinton also tweeted some information about the upcoming episode of "The Cube."

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"It's been awesome to see you and Wanda still in each others' lives after all these years. Hope you do well on The Cube!," one person commented. "Incredible story here. Love it," wrote another.

One Wrong Text Brought Two Families Together In 2016

Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench
Jamal Hinton - Instagram

When Dench thought she was texting her grandson inviting him over for Thanksgiving dinner, she quickly found out that she had the wrong number. But instead of dismissing it and moving along, an unlikely bond began to form between the grandmother and then 17-year-old.

Hinton, who's now 23, shares their amazing relationship on social media for everyone following their heartwarming story. He often shares Thanksgiving dinner updates, as well as other times the two meet up throughout the year.

Back in November, Hinton shared an Instagram post about a business partnership the two have formed.

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He also shared a photo announcing that Thanksgiving year seven was happening for the two and their families.

"One of my all time favorite stories!!! ❤️," one person wrote in the comments of the post. "Love that you all are keeping the tradition," wrote another.

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Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench
Jamal Hinton - Instagram

There's also been talk of a Netflix film about their story.

Hinton tweeted the announcement about a year ago saying, "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 six years. We can't wait to tell our story on the big screen.

According to Variety, "The Thanksgiving Text" will tell their true story of how one wrong text began a new friendship that turned into family. In a joint statement, Dench and Hinton said, "We are excited to share our story with the world. We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn't ordinarily make. We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message."

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Dench and Hinton's episode of "The Cube" airs June 4 on TBS.

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