Today host Sheinelle Jones is opening up about navigating the loss of husband Uche Ojeh.
“Not once did I think I was going to lose him,” Jones, 47, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, January 14. “When you’re a woman of faith, you realize that you’re praying for an outcome and then if the outcome doesn’t come, then what?”
Jones’s outlook shifted after Ojeh’s death.
“And that’s when I’ve really had to dig deep and realize that maybe I just don’t fully understand,” she noted about her faith. “I know God loves me and I know God loves [Uche] and I know God loves my children and our families, so like, why is this happening?”
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She continued: “I still don’t know if I have the answer, but I have peace that passes all understanding. That’s a Bible verse. It doesn’t mean that it’s easier. It doesn’t mean that my grief is not excruciating.”
Jones became a fixture on our TV screens after becoming one of the hosts of the third hour of Today. She took a hiatus in early 2025, which caused concern for viewers.
“I sincerely appreciate all of you who have reached out while I’ve been absent from the show,” she wrote via Instagram in January 2025. “It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have not only the support of my Today show family, but to also have all of you. Your kindness means so much to me. I’ll see you soon.”
Months into Jones’ lengthy absence, her cohosts Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly, Dreyer and Jenna Bush Hager announced her husband’s death in May 2025 following a private cancer battle.
“I don’t even think I understood fully what it would feel like to not have him,” Jones told People about how she has gone through the different stages of grief with her kids: son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche Jr, both 13.
Jones recalled the entire Today family remaining by her side amid the major loss. Before Ojeh’s death, Roker, 71, delivered breakfast sandwiches to hospice and Melvin, 46, visited Ojeh often. Guthrie and Hoda Kotb brought gift baskets and devotional books to the hospital while Dreyer encouraged Jones to step away from the show to focus on her family.
“My kids lost their dad at 13 and 16 but I try to tell them they got more in those years than some people get in a lifetime,” Jones told People about how her children carry their father’s legacy “not with pain, but with power.”
She added: “It hurts that this [loss] is happening to me, but it is excruciating that it’s happening to my kids. As a mom you just want to protect them from everything. This was the first thing I couldn’t fix.”
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Jones has now remained focused on her kids — and her career. After Kotb’s exit from Today, Jones was announced as Hager’s new cohost on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.
“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,’” Jones shared on the Monday, January 12, episode of the show. “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.”
A message from Uche was shown where he sent thumbs up and fingers crossed in response to an article about Kotb leaving Today.
“He felt like it was my turn to shine and to try … And that was almost two years ago,” Jones recalled while getting emotional. “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.”
