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Sheinelle Jones is reflecting on her return to the Today show after her husband Uche Ojeh’s untimely death.
“I worried that I wouldn’t know how to smile,” Jones, 47, told Page Six in an interview published on Saturday, January 17, “I worried that I wouldn’t know how to laugh. I love my job so much. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what if it’s not the same?’ Because I’ve never known this job without him.”
Jones took time away from Today beginning in December 2024, sharing via Instagram the following month that she was “taking time to deal with a family health matter.” In May 2025, Today coanchor Savannah Guthrie announced on Today that Ojeh died after a private battle with brain cancer. He was 45.
“With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and Today cohost Sheinelle Jones, has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma,” Guthrie shared at the time. “There are no words for the pain that we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him.” (The couple shared son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.)
Jones returned to the morning show in September 2025. Three months later, she was announced as Jenna Bush Hager’s cohost after Hoda Kotb’s Today departure.
“It’s an out of body experience, and the little girl in me and the woman who has had a tough 18 to 24 months is watching everything that’s happening,” Jones told Page Six on Saturday.
Jones took her seat as Bush Hager’s cohost for the first time earlier this month, sharing a text message from Ojeh.
“I did not plan to share this, but I shared it with Jenna and she is having me share this with you,” Jones began during the episode. “So, when Hoda announced that she was leaving — Uche always felt like, when we were in college, ‘Oh, you should do a show.’ He just felt like I should, and I used to be like, ‘Ugh, whatever.’”
She continued, “And so when Hoda announced that she was leaving, he was really sick, and so he wasn’t talking as much. But I could talk to him and he would send me emojis and stuff like that, and that would be how we talked. And so I’ll show you a picture of the text that I just found from Uche from 2024.”
The message from Ojeh displayed on the screen, which included a screenshot of an article about Kotb leaving Today. He included several emojis, including thumbs up and fingers crossed.
“He felt like it was my turn to shine and to try … And that was almost two years ago,” Jones reflected through tears. “What you don’t see is that I didn’t respond to that … it didn’t even register for me. … And so now, it just feels like confirmation, because here we are two years later.”
