Celebs We’d Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner

The Root staff is inviting the aunties with great advice, the cousins to gossip with, the older folks to pray, and all of the entertainment! Who would you invite to dinner?

Maya Angelou

The woman everybody would’ve looked forward to seeing is the late Maya Angelou: “Imma go old-school and say Maya Angelou because you know the blessing she would give over the Thanksgiving meal would be on point and bring everyone to tears. Plus that lady could throw down in the kitchen, so you know I’d be trying to coax her to share her recipes.”- Vanessa De Luca, Editor-in-Chief

Oprah Winfrey

Don’t we all want to be in the presence of Oprah Winfrey? “I just think she’d be fun, calm, talkative, and real. She’s a foodie so she’d enjoy the good dishes or she’d tell me why not. She’s a great conversationalist, so she’d keep everyone talking and that would be less work for me. Plus, she might bring her bestie Gayle and they’d be a hoot, especially if I could get them tipsy…ok …drunk!”- Tatsha Robertson, Deputy Editor

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II or Jonathan Majors

A little eye candy at the dinner never hurt anybody! We have two men we would like to see: “Either one of my celeb husbands: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II or Jonathan Majors. They’re always away for work so it’d be nice to have them back at home where they belong.”- Shanelle Genai, Writer

Samuel L. Jackson

There’s nothing like some good entertainment on a holiday, and Samuel L. Jackson is the perfect fit: “I would love to have had Samuel L. Jackson over for Thanksgiving while my grandmother was still alive. There would never have been more creative uses of the word “motherfucker” in one room in human history.” Keith Reed, Freelancer

Ryan Coogler

While we wait for the dinner to be finished the deep talks must commence: “I would love to invite Black Panther director Ryan Coogler to my Thanksgiving. I recently saw him speak at a special screening of Wakanda Forever. One thing he dropped very casually was that he identifies as a socialist. And when he said that it clicked for me. The stories he’s chosen to bring to the big screen are all rooted in socio-political dynamics: Fruitvale Station, Creed, Judah and the Black Messiah. His mother a community organizer. His dad a juvenile probation counselor. His uncle, a longshoreman, in one of the most radical unions in the country. Social struggles got me into video producing so I would love to pick his brain about the fusion of film and politics.”- Adriano Contreras, Video Lead

Druski

A younger jokester is needed for the young folks’ table and Druski’s got it handled! “I think he’d be making everyone laugh at the table the whole time. It’d be hard to focus on eating but still a lot of fun to interact and laugh with.”- Noah A. McGee, Staff Writer

Patti Labelle

Have you had the Patti Labelle sweet potato pies? If not, run to Walmart now! The queen of the kitchen is invited without question: “I already know I’m gonna see God when she hands me my plate.”- Jay Connor, Senior Editor

The Rock

Aside from dinner, Thanksgiving is the time for some not-so-friendly competition with the family! If you plan on winning family football, we know the man to call, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: “I’m inviting The Rock, because I need him on my team for the pre-dinner football game. I would also like him to trash talk my brother throughout the meal just so I can laugh the whole time.”- Stephanie Holland, Staff Writer

Megan Thee Stallion

Thee Hot Girl, Megan Thee Stallion, is receiving an invite, because who else is going to get us up and dancing? “Imma go with Megan Thee Stallion because I think she’d be funny as hell and after eating turkey she would teach me how to twerk.”- Candace McDuffie, Senior Writer

Jenifer Lewis

Jenifer Lewis’s spirit fills every room with joking, giving aunty advice, and of course, some singing: “Who wouldn’t want her commentary at the table …. and possibly a musical number if she’s had enough wine.”- Kalyn Womack, Staff Writer

Deon Cole

We just have to have someone there for the laughs, and the perfect person is Deon Cole! “I have a lot of funny family members, but it would be cool to have a real comedian there. I think it would be fun to have Deon Cole at the table. He’s a DJ and, we’re both from Chicago, so we’re probably cousins!”- Angela Johnson, Senior Writer

Raphael Warnock

You know we don’t start eating until that one family preacher blesses the food and Reverend Raphael Warnock is here to lead us in prayer: “The man was pastor at Ebenezer! Plus, he’s not too old school to where we’d be waiting till 9 p.m. for him to get done praying!”- Shanelle Genai, Writer

Keke Palmer

The gag is we want the entire family to laugh until they cry and the best fit is our girl, Keke Palmer: “…Because she’d be hilarious and cracking jokes.”- Murjani Rawls, Staff Writer

Wendy Williams

“We know Wendy Williams is a controversial pick but it’s a fact that every family has a shady, gossiping aunty. If you get on her good side, you might get that family after dessert!”- Amira Castilla, Staff Writer