‘He’ll be my grandson’: Oklahoma grandmother ‘adopts’ Oscar-winning actor

Digital Media Manager

TULSA, Okla. —

An Oklahoma grandmother recently went viral after welcoming a new famous addition to her family that came as a big surprise to her grandchildren.

That famous addition is Academy Award-winning actor Michael B. Jordan.

“I tell you what, I got this magazine in the mail, and this picture was in there, and of Michael B. Jordan,” Mary Story told a Tulsa, Oklahoma, television station. “So, I said, ‘I set it up on the counter.’ I said, ‘Well, I can’t throw it away. It’s too nice of a picture.’ So, I said, ‘Well, I’ll put it in a frame and put it on the wall with my other grandsons.’ I said, ‘So, he’ll be my grandson.'”

Adding a picture she saw of him in a magazine to the wall sparked questions from those already in the family.

“Y’all, why do my grandma got a picture of Michael B. Jordan framed on our family wall?” Story’s granddaughter, Natalie Sims, said in a video posted to social media.

But did Story think a simple picture from a magazine in a frame would garner all this attention?

“No, I didn’t think I would ever have thought that,” Story said. “I sure wouldn’t have because I couldn’t even tell him what magazine it came out of.”

Sims said she was happy she was able to capture the moment and put it on social media.

“I took the video and posted it with no real expectations. It’s just when I’m home, I videotape and we just have a good time,” Sims said. “The video went viral in probably 24 hours. So, by day two, his team reached out and said, ‘You know, Michael has seen the video, and we want you to know that he’s seen the video. He will respond, but he is on a promo run in, like, London. But we want to send granny something special.'”

There were two parts to the gift. The first was jewelry.

“I was shocked to death,” Story said. “He sent me this necklace and this bracelet. It’s my birthstone. And, guess what? My birthday is February the third, and his birthday is February the ninth. Yes!”

It’s a small gesture that became a viral moment, but Sims said it goes much deeper.

“I think with the responses that I’ve seen since then, she has become everyone else’s grandmother. And I think in moments like that, the ability to shine a light on the small ways that we are connected, right? The small joys, the small moments of excitement that we can all share in. I think it brings us closer together,” Sims said. “You want somebody to root for, right? You want to be a part of somebody’s big moment. I think as humans, we all want to see people achieve great, great things, and people will be saying, and step into their light.”

In addition to the jewelry, Jordan had to personally thank his new grandmother for welcoming him into the family.

“You have a beautiful family. Thank you for including me in the collage, in the family pictures. I appreciate that,” Jordan told Story during a video call.

Story said she plans to invite Jordan to the next family reunion.