need to know
- A family’s big Thanksgiving meal falls to the ground, as seen in a viral video
- Kat Hovnanian’s loved ones gathered in New Jersey, just about to enjoy a feast prepared by her aunt, when the incident occurred
- Hovnanian, who captured the moment, tells PEOPLE what led up to the incident, and how the family coped in the aftermath
A New Jersey family was just moments away from enjoying a Thanksgiving meal together when the table holding all of their belongings collapsed.
More than 150 of Kat Hovnanian’s loved ones gathered for the holidays at her aunt’s house in Red Bank, NJ, on Thursday, Nov. 27, when her 12-year-old cousin gave a speech in front of the table holding her food, causing most of the previously prepared food to fall to the floor.
@katyahownanian via Storyful (2)
Hovnanian captured the incident on a video and it has since gone viral online. Now, she tells People that her aunt, who hosts Thanksgiving every year, “had been planning and preparing for weeks” and cooked the feast herself that included turkey, vegetables and more.
“As soon as my cousin finished her speech, the entire table collapsed and all the food went with it,” she says. “It was a devastating moment, and none of us knew how to react.”
@katyahownanian via Storyful
In the clip, Hovnanian’s aunt can be seen covering her mouth in shock after the table falls.
The footage shows the cousin, who was assigned to read the speech, also claps her hand over her mouth before jumping as utensils fall to the floor. Meanwhile, other people can be heard gasping and screaming in shock.
Instagram users commenting on Hovnanian’s viral clip have speculated that a young family member who appeared to be leaning over the table caused the furniture – and the food in it – to crash, while others believe her aunt was to blame.
But the real culprit was just the table, Hovnanian told People, due to old age and the location of the feast.
“[It’s]actually just broken — it’s an old antique table that my aunt had for a while,” she says, adding that her family had “put too much stuff on the table, and the weight distribution was off.”
“I know many people are speculating that the table fell because someone was leaning on it,” Hovnanian adds. “We have other angles of the video, and the tables have just been turned!”
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@katyahownanian via Storyful
Although his family was initially devastated by this unfortunate incident, Hovnanian says they were all eventually able to laugh about it – partly thanks to his aunt’s backup spread and because they were able to salvage some food on the broken table.
“We saved some of it,” Hovnanian tells People. “The turkey, ham and steak were somewhat fine, but my experienced, angelic aunt had a second buffet ready in no time. Everyone rushed to clean up and break down the table.”
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Once again praising her aunt’s hosting abilities, she added, “She’s been doing this for decades!”
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