Dear Abby: I have feelings for my friend, who is 20 years my junior

Nypost · May 07, 2026 · 539 words · By Dear Abby

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What to know about Dear Abby: I have feelings for my friend, who is 20 years my junior

I have a close female friend who is 20 years younger.

Claims checked 4

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

I have a close female friend who is 20 years younger.

Why it matters

We see each other just about every day and call each other to talk about our day.

Common ground

We have supper together just about every night.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Dear Abby: I have feelings for my friend, who is 20 years my junior?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/07/lifestyle/dear-abby-i-have-feelings-for-my-friend-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified

Claim 1: “Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states that the column is carried on today by Jeanne Phillips, who owns the legal rights to the pen name Abigail Van Buren. This is further corroborated by multiple reports from the NY Post.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dear Abby is an American advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name "Abigail Van Buren" and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dear_Abby

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pauline Esther Phillips (née Friedman; July 4, 1918 – January 16, 2013), also known as Abigail Van Buren, was an American advice columnist and radio show host who began the well-known Dear Abby newsp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Phillips

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wendie Malick (born December 13, 1950) is an American actress and former fashion model, known for her roles in various television comedies. She starred as Judith Tupper Stone in the HBO sitcom Dream O…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendie_Malick

+ 5 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “Dear Abby... was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that Dear Abby was founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips. This is also corroborated by multiple NY Post reports.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jeanne Phillips ( JEE-nee; born 1942), also known as Abigail Van Buren, is an American advice columnist who has written for the advice column Dear Abby since 2000. She was born in Minneapolis to Paul…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Phillips

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+ 5 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Contact Dear Abby at... P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069”

CORROBORATED

The mailing address P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069 is explicitly listed in multiple independent web search results including the Chicago Sun-Times, mlive.com, and syracuse.com.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of Lollapalooza lineups, sorted by year. Lollapalooza was an annual travelling music festival organized from 1991 to 1997 by Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell. The concept was reviv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lollapalooza_lineups_b…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 2022 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, critics' lists of the best films of 2022, festivals, a list of country-specific lists of films released, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_in_film

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gidget Goes Hawaiian is a 1961 American romantic comedy musical film starring James Darren, Michael Callan and Deborah Walley. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film is a sequel to the 1959 Sandra De…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gidget_Goes_Hawaiian

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Contact Dear Abby at http://www.DearAbby.com”

CORROBORATED

The website www.DearAbby.com is listed as the contact point in multiple independent web search results (AOL, NY Post).

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+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.